


Ownership

by ValiantMurder



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:00:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13093908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValiantMurder/pseuds/ValiantMurder
Summary: A young woman working for a powerful businessman as a nanny has a secret, but so does everyone else it seems. When Henrietta had her first one-night stand she didn't imagine it would come up again, but the world is never that simple. Especially when there are Lothbroks involved.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> A self-indulgence project to keep me writing when I cannot be bothered with original works!

As his hands fumbled with the lock on the door she took the time to take him in. He was smiling nervously, and Hettie found she quite liked that. They had only just met perhaps two hours ago at one of the local clubs, not one for partying or really doing anything her friends considered fun this was the last place she had expected to find herself; at a strangers apartment about to fuck.  
  
He said his name was Sigurd and he was visiting some of his family in England, Hettie had just so happened to catch his eye which had brought him over to her. She'd almost rolled her eyes at that, wondering how often he used that line to get someone into bed, she'd even said as much. To her surprise he had replied sincerely, he didn't use it often, and he had never used it on a girl from England.

They sat down and chatted for awhile, learning minor pieces of information about one another. Sigurd belonged to a big family that ran a business he wouldn't give many details on, and Hettie was a personal assistant turned nanny for her big bad boss. Sigurd had laughed at that, and Hettie had joined him.  
  
In truth she loved her job almost as much as she loved her boss. He was an amazing man who inspired her every day, and his children were so easy to care for. She'd never had such a rewarding job, yet one of the office girls had warned her against getting too attached, the last girl who got close to their boss had quit never to return, and no one knew why.  
  
"Ah" Sigurd said finally, drawing Hettie from her thoughts as he clicked the door open. Her head was still dizzy but most of their tension had vanished with his attempts to open the door. As if sensing this he poured them both a shot and turned on the music as he walked into the kitchen. The apartment was magnificent, and as she looked around Sigurd approached her side. "It's not bad, is it?" he joked, making her smile  
  
"It's better than where I would have taken us" she confessed, turning to him to click their shot glasses together before downing her own. Sigurd followed soon after and kissed her boldly on the mouth. He was surprisingly good at kissing for someone who spent so long trying to open the door and whilst he wasn't the typical type of attractive, something about him felt familiar and Hettie liked that. Liked the safeness of it all despite the fact he was a total stranger.  
  
As their kiss deepened she accidentally dropped her glass, the sound of it shattering on the tiles made her jump but Sigurd just guided her backwards, away from the kitchen. His hands roamed beneath her loose crop and she gasped when he brushed a thumb across her nipple lightly before tugging at it, drawing a moan from deep within her throat. Smiling into her neck as he nipped at the delicate skin Hettie brought her hands up into his hair and arched her body into his.  
  
Lifting her Sigurd waited for her to wrap her legs around him before he walked them into another room down the end of a barely lit hallway. A large four poster bed sat in the middle, in the dark Hettie could barely make out photographs lining the walls but before she could say anything she was dropped onto the bed and Sigurd began to tug at her denim skirt.

Lifting her bum to help him she reached behind her back and unclasped her top before pulling it off completely. Settling between her legs on the edge of the bed Sigurd kissed her exposed stomach, slowly making his way downwards to her heated centre. Sighing when his breath spread over her, Hettie wiggled impatiently, drawing a soft laugh from him before he suddenly buried his face against her.  
  
Crying out at the sudden contact Hettie's hands gripped the sheets beneath her as Sigurd ran his tongue against her, the movements smooth and almost languid, as though he was taking his time to tease her. Beginning to pant as his rhythm increased she grunted in mock annoyance, lifting her hands to grab at his hair and encourage him to be rougher with her.

Smiling against her Sigurd was happy to comply, lifting his left hand to slip a finger and then another inside her. Her own fingers digging into his hair roughly Hettie felt herself moving closer to her orgasm, every inch of her body tingling as the pressure built up inside her.  
  
"Fuck" she growled, releasing Sigurd's soft hair and gripping at the sheets again as a white hot wave ran through her. When her body tensed and began to roll with the after-effect of her orgasm Sigurd lifted his right hand and held her stomach in place, allowing her to ride it out as his continued to eat at her, Hettie exhaled heavily from her nose when she felt him smile against her, proud of his efforts.

When she steadied enough to keep still he climbed up her body, small kisses dotting her thighs, stomach and breasts as he moved upwards. He planted soft reassuring kisses on her face as she caught her breath and Hettie begrudged herself for feeling so love struck at the notion.   
  
When she collected herself enough she pushed Sigurd down onto his own back, deciding now was the perfect time for payback. Helping him from his shirt first she nipped softly at his collarbone as she moved smoothly down his body to help him out of his pants. His cock sprung out eagerly and Hettie had to admire the gentle curve of it, he was bigger than most the boys she had been with before but not so big that it worried her,  _much_.

Leaning over him she ran her tongue gently up from base to tip, her tongue hard enough to add pressure but not so hard it would be sating. Grinning she looked at Sigurd who was staring down at her, his eyes so dark in the dim lit room that they looked almost black with lust. Lifting one of her hands to cup his balls she kneaded him gently as she continued.  
  
She teased him only for short moment, one of her hands lazily pumping him whilst her tongue ran over his tip. When she took him wholly into her mouth he gasped at the sudden pressure, one of his hands came to her head and he pushed himself deeper into her mouth, groaning at the contact. It didn't take long for him to start panting and soon he was pulling her up to his chest as he slipped backwards to settle into the pillows. When he kissed her Hettie could taste herself on his lips and wondered if he had the same thought. Straddling him she reached behind her and lined him up with her easily before sliding down against him. They both made a noise of appreciation when Sigurd finally settled his head against her opening, catching her eye he grabbed the back of her head with his spare head and brought her down into a hungry kiss as he began to fill her.  
  
Rolling her hips as she ground down him slowly Hettie savored the feeling of his hands pressing harshly into her hips until he was fully insider her. His teeth grazed over her right nipple and she gasped as he started to fuck up into her at his own pace, holding her tightly against him as his rhythm increased. Staring down into his eyes she pushed back down against him, determined to have some say in the way the night unfolded. Grinning at her Sigurd grunted as he pushed himself into her, making her cry out in surprise at the sudden harshness. A guttural laugh left his throat and Hettie felt the heat already pooled in the bottom of her stomach begin to intensify again.   
  
Pushing her backwards Sigurd sucked at the delicate skin on her neck as he leaned over her until she was back against the sheets and he could settle himself over her. A moan escaped her as he lifted her legs up onto her shoulders and sheathed himself inside her again, his pace quicker than it had been before as the sound of their bodies coming together filled the room. Lifting her arms Hettie ran her hands over Sigurd's back, scratching lines into his sides as he sucked harshly at her neck.   
  
"You feel so fucking good" he sighed between thrusts, his kisses became infrequent as his panting increased with his pace. His words sent an electrifying thrill down her spine as he breathed across her throat, and after a final shuddering groan he came inside her, his face buried in her chest as he breathed against her smooth skin.   
  
Leaning backwards into the sheets Hettie exhaled and studied Sigurd's face, she wasn't sure what came next, should she leave? A long silence stretched between them as he rolled off her and rested against the pillows. Glancing behind her she squinted, trying to find her clothes in the dark.  
  
"Do you want to stay?" Sigurd asked when he saw what she was doing, his voice was even but the tone was almost shy. "You don't have to, but if you want to.." his voice trailed off and Hettie smiled, where was the man from a few moments ago now?  
  
"Yeah" she replied, wiggling from beneath him to the side of the bed and using her feet to feel for where her skirt had landed. Picking it up she fished her phone out of the back pocket and checked the time, it was early hours of the morning now anyway. She wouldn't be over for too long. "Thank you," she added with a smile, leaning back across and kissing him softly.  
  
He showed her to the bathroom and left her there with a cloth and a bottle of water 'in case you were thirsty' he had joked with a wink, drinking deeply from the one he had gotten for himself. Looking in the mirror Hettie grinned sheepishly at herself, for a first attempt at sex in quite awhile she felt proud of her efforts. After she had cleaned herself up she went back to Sigurd's room to find him looking through Netflix for something to put on, patting the place beside him he encouraged her to sit next to him,  
  
"There's a shirt there if you don't want to sleep in those clothes" he added, pointing to the edge of where she was sitting without looking up at her.   
  
Thankful Hettie slipped the soft material over her head and let herself be consumed by the smell of him. She was glad that he had been the one to approach her at the club she decided as she glanced back at him to study his face, he looked almost domestic, as though they had done this a hundred times before.  
  
"Thank you" she replied as she crawled into the bed next to him, he opened his arm for her to cuddle beside him and she found herself complying easily.  
  
Eventually he settled on some TV show she hadn’t seen the title of and soon after she fell asleep. Throughout her slumber she woke only once to find the TV off and Sigurd’s arms softly wrapped around her, his head resting just above her own.  
  


When morning did break Sigurd was the first awake and on his feet, the loss of contact woke her and she watched him grab some clothes of his own from some drawers before going to leave. He was well muscled for his age, she had felt it last night but seeing it in the daylight was a different thing. He had his soft dirty blonde hair pulled back into a bun at the back of his head and Hettie decided that it suited him plenty. Smiling to herself she let her eyes trace the angle of his jaw thoughtfully. When he glanced back and saw she was awake he almost jumped in surprise,

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up” he apologised, walking back over to the bed and sitting on her edge. “Did you sleep alright?” he added with a smile, one of his hands going to rest against her covered legs,

“What time is it?” Hettie asked in response, rubbing one of her eyes as she yawned,

“It’s about to be seven” Sigurd replied with a smile, “do you want to have a shower?”

She did, and Sigurd led her to the bathroom. They both undressed and jumped into the expensive looking shower, Sigurd wrapped him arms around her and soaped up her back whilst smiling at her as though he had found something precious. Caught off guard Hettie grinned back at him before splashing water across his face. When they were both done Sigurd handed Hettie a towel first and turned away when she put her underwear back on,

“You know, I don’t usually stay over when this stuff happens” she said as she was drying her dark hair, Sigurd looked at her through the mirror and considered her for a moment,

“Do you do this often?” he wondered out loud, running a brush through his own damp hair, his expression was serious.

“No” Hettie confessed, looking away from him awkwardly, “I just mean I’m not sure if this is how it usually goes, I suppose” she forced a quick laugh and Sigurd smiled at her again,

“You know, we don’t have-” before he could finish what he was saying the door swung open and Hettie faced it defensively, her hands balling into fists automatically.

Two men stood in the doorway looking at her in surprise, their eyes flicked to Sigurd and the younger looking of the two broke out a magnificent smile, catching her off guard as he drank in her state of dress. They both stood tall against the door frame, easily in the six foot range and much taller than Hettie herself. Her own eyes flicked between them and she tried to gauge what was going on when one of them spoke, 

“Brother” the elder of the two said, trying to suppress a grin, “who is this?”

 _Brother_ Hettie thought, looking between the three of them. They all had the same impressive blue eyes, although the shades were off between them and they definitely had their own singular looks. Where Sigurd's hair was the lightest among the trio, the eldest had darker hair and the second had hair somewhere caught in between. Not relaxing Hettie looked back to Sigurd for comfort, he offered her a reassuring glance before replying,

“This is Hettie. I met her last night when I was out” he added, moving forward he stood at her side and put a towel over her shoulders smoothly, his hand lingering on her shoulder for a moment. She wasn't sure whether to be glad at the contact or not, but accepted it either way. It wasn't every day she stood in a strangers bathroom in her underwear with three men surrounding her.

“Well” the eldest smiled as his eyes flicked between his brother and his guest, “Hettie, my name is Ubbe, and this is my younger brother Hvitserk” he added, motioning to the second man in the doorway,

“Hello” Hettie replied, trying not to sound stiff as she spoke,

“ _Who the fuck broke glass on the kitchen floor_?” another voice came, and Hettie narrowed her eyes past the brothers in the doorway, how many of these people were they?

The four of them headed into the kitchen where they found another man, his hair was the darkest of the brothers, and he had no facial hair unlike the others. Hettie eyed him as he leaned up against the bench, glaring down at the shattered remains of the shot glass from the night before, under his arms were crutches.

“Sorry” she spoke up as she walked in, and observing a dustpan and broom on a hanger by the fridge she went and began cleaning it up, “that was me”

“Hettie you don’t have to do that” Sigurd spoke up, walking over to her he took the dustpan from her hands and looked at the fourth man. “Ivar knows where we keep the dustpan” he teased with a grin, looking back to his brothers. Hettie watched as Ubbe’s face grew serious, as though warning Sigurd not to torment their youngest brother.

Ivar was a lot quieter than his brothers, as they all prepared breakfast and chatted with her he sat at the kitchen table doing something on his phone, occasionally throwing annoyed looks in Sigurd’s general direction. Demanding that she help Hettie got the job of poaching the eggs, which was relatively easy considering her bosses step son loved having them on toast for lunch most days and she had trained to be a chef prior to her current career choice, if you could call it that. Ubbe asked her about her job and they all listened curiously as she told them about her personal assistant to nanny position.

When they all sat down she was sat between Hvitserk and Sigurd, the latter would occasionally squeeze her thigh as they all made further small talk.

“Did he pay you?” Ivar spoke up all of a sudden, looking between Sigurd and herself. Hettie bristled, offended by the question.

“No” she said bluntly, dropping her fork down and narrowing his eyes at him,

“You must be stupid then” Ivar scoffed, taking a bite of his toast as he watched her anger build.

“Ivar” Ubbe scolded, “don’t be rude to her, she is our guest” Ivar rolled his eyes and motioned his hand between Sigurd and Hettie,

“Do you really think a woman who looks like that would sleep with Sigurd?” he teased, his eyes narrowing menacing at his brother,

“Better him than you,” Hettie quipped back softly, picking up her fork and resuming her meal, she felt Sigurd squeeze her thigh gently again,

There was a quick silence before Hvitserk laughed, and two of the brothers joined him gently, although their laughter was strained. Throughout the rest of the meal Hettie caught Ivar casting her glances, his eyes curious, as though trying to figure something out. In response she felt her brows furrowing together in annoyance, something about him rubbing her the wrong way with every stolen look.

“I think I have seen you before” he said just as she was preparing to leave, Hettie turned and faced him, her arms crossed.

“I think I would remember someone as rude as you, Ivar” she replied, using his name to make sure he was under no delusions. “Trust me” she added, shaking her head as Sigurd handed her one of his coats.

“It’s cold out” he said kindly, “I’ll text you, or you can just mail it back” he joked, and Hettie leaned up on her toes to kiss him.

By the time she arrived home she was glad that Sigurd had handed across his jacket, the wind had picked up and the clothes she had worn the night before were doing a very poor job at keeping the cold off.

Climbing the stairs to her unit she checked her phone for the first time to see that she must have put it in flight mode during the night to keep the battery up. Switching it back into it’s normal mode she unlocked her front door and latched it behind her as she entered her humble apartment.

Glad to be home she stripped down and pulled on some track pants and a t-shirt before settling down into her couch, laying back she heard her phone begin to vibrate and answered it,

“Hettie speaking” she answered, fighting against a yawn and losing,

“Big night?” a familiar voice said on the other end, sitting upright she laughed awkwardly,

“Good morning Sir,” she answered, listening closely to the sound of her bosses all to familiar laugh.

“Hettie how many times have I asked you to call me by my name? If you keep calling me  _sir_ my own children are going to start following suit,” she smiled at the thought but conceded,

“Of course, I’m sorry – how can I help Bjorn?”


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little more about what it is that Hettie is actually employed for, and why exactly she seems so naive to the world she has been working in for almost a year now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had this half drafted since the 20th of December, it just so happens that it is an insanely busy time of year for (everyone) me and I am not getting as much spare time as I would like, regardless, thank you for your feedback so far, I appreciate it very much!

Bjorn had been called into the office for some emergency meetings and Hettie was happy to oblige him by going over and seeing to his sons. Torvi, his estranged wife, was out of town with her son Gunthrum and Bjorn hadn't wanted any one else to mind his children. Warmed at that, it hadn't taken any convincing to get her to hail a cab and head over once she had changed into some appropriate clothing.   
  
Once the doorman let her through with a familiar smile a small voice filled the expensive penthouse, pouncing off the floorboards and high white walls,  
  
"Nana!" Erik's tone was excitable and rushing forward Hettie scooped him into her arms, she had long since given up trying to teach him her name, he was far too fond of calling her  _Nana_ after Bjorn had introduced her as the new nanny a little under a year ago. Squeezing him softly she glanced around the seemingly empty lounge room,   
  
"Where is your father?" she asked as she sat him on the edge of the couch and dropped her overnight bag on the rug,   
  
"Upstairs" Erik complained, looking over at the bottom of the stairs. A small black gate had been set up and whilst Erik was five and smart enough to open it, he knew not to whilst Refil was around. Smiling at him Hettie mussed his soft hair and went to the gate, when she looked upwards there was a small movement and soon enough Bjorn's face appeared,   
  
"Good morning Henrietta" Bjorn smiled, in his arms Refil was wrapped in a light blue towel, his damp three-year old hair flicking upwards in all directions, "we'll be down in a moment," scoffing at the use of her full name Hettie turned back to Erik who had settled himself on the mat, his small fingers tracing words as he read a picture book.   
  
Glancing up at her the young Lothbrok child poked his tongue out mischievously, making her run toward him playfully. When she was on the floor at his side she looked over the cover of  _The Jungle Book,_ it was the child's version, but the artwork had been re-done by a friend of the family, making the piece a one of a kind. Letting him settle into her lap the two spent some time discussing all the animals as well as the story before Bjorn came down the stairs and let himself and Refil through the little black gate.  
  
"Thank you for coming on such short notice" Bjorn said as he sat Refil next to her, the younger boy instantly got up and squeezed in beside his brother in Hettie's lap,   
  
"It's no worries at all," she replied, playfully tickling Refil's sides with Erik, "I don't mind at all".  
  
As Bjorn got his things organised on the long marble kitchen bench she took a moment to watch him, Refil and Erik entranced by the book in front of them Hettie found her eyes tracing down the muscles of Bjorn's body, he wore an almost too tight white dress shirt and black dress pants, nothing overly special yet on him it was anything but ordinary.   
  
"I'll let you know when I will be home as soon as I know," he said as he was leaving, Hettie had gotten to her feet and Refil and Erik received kisses from their father on their brows. When he turned to Hettie he smiled and squeezed her shoulder, "thank you again".  
  
After he had left Hettie went through the usual routine with the two boys, they played and cooked and spent the usual amount of time debating which grandparent was better than the other. Ragnar had sent both the boys an entire set of Viking toy soldiers hand-crafted to resemble some of their family and friends, inclusive of the boys themselves in tiny Viking form. Lagatha on the other hand had sent them several new picture books with the art re-done by various artists that were renowned worldwide. Hettie often had a hard time imagining how exactly Bjorn remained biased towards his parents when they spent so long trying to out-do one another.   
  
But then again she supposed it was none of her business, she was just a nanny, after all.   
  
When the boys were settled in their beds for the night and she had finished reading them their favorite books she checked the windows, locks and began the slow tidy up of the house. For a five and three year old, both boys managed to be relatively neat. All their Viking toys were in one corner of the room, whilst their books lined the lounge and mat.   
  
Picking the warrior toys up first Hettie's eye caught on a particular figure, strangely enough the face seemed to resemble someone familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. Startling blue eyes and dark hair beneath a helmet weren't quite enough to give away the identity. Shaking her head against tiredness she had begun to feel she finished putting the toys away and organised the books in alphabetical order. No text or call from Bjorn yet meant that she would more than likely be sleeping over.   
  
  
  
Something woke her from her place on the couch at three in the morning, the house was eerily quiet for a moment before she heard it: the gentle sound of footsteps. Thankful that she had turned all the lights off Hettie reached her hand down beneath the pillow under her head and then lifted herself to look through the room. There were at least three... four black figures moving from the entry into the kitchen. How they had gotten in was beyond her, there were several alarms in place and she was one of the few that knew the codes to all of them.    
  
"Shh,  _shhh_ "one voice demanded, "you'll wake the children" they hushed, making Hettie's skin crawl with anxiety.   
  
It happened quickly, she knew that if she tried to move quietly they would adjust their eyes to the dark of the house and notice that they weren't alone. Jumping over the back of the couch on light feet she made her way straight towards the one at the front, hitting them over the head with the back of the pistol she had picked up from beneath her pillow. They went down heavily and cried out, pulling the others to attention. It seemed as though they were grabbing for something when she brought her elbow up into someone else's face and then as they fell brought her knee up to crack into their jaw. Someone grabbed her ankle but she kicked them off, dodging between the two fallen bodies to line the pistol up at another figure when suddenly the light was turned on,   
  
"Hettie!" It was Bjorn's voice, soft but demanding as he stood by the lights in the front entry. She looked at him worriedly before noticing that there was another person at his side,   
  
"Sigurd?" Hettie asked dumbly, and turning to see where she was pointing her gun she found herself faced with Ivar's furrowed brow as he stared straight down the barrel. On the floor Ubbe was sitting on his ass, a hand over his bloodied nose whilst Hvitserk lay on his back laughing, blood dripping onto the tiles under his head.   
  
"What is happening?" Ivar demanded, still not moving away from Hettie's pointed gun. Awkwardly she lowered it and relaxed her stance, looking back to Bjorn.   
  
"Brothers, this is Henrietta, the nanny" his voice was filled with amusement when he spoke but Hettie felt nothing but a cool shame creeping down her spine. "I'm sorry, I had assumed you would sleep in the spare room, we did not mean to frighten you"   
  
"You didn't frighten me," Hettie replied defensively, her turn to frown. "I was just.. worried when they mentioned the boys" she smiled tensely and moved across the room to sit on the back of the couch, lowering the gun back into the blankets.   
  
" _What is happening?"_ Ivar repeated, his voice impatient as he looked between Bjorn and Hettie, "I thought you were a nanny not some sort of bodyguard" it was a statement, not a question.   
  
"I didn't realize you knew one another," Bjorn spoke curiously, walking forward and helping Ubbe and Hvitserk to their feet. "Henrietta is the nanny to my boys, she also has other duties which I am sure you recall your nannies had whilst you were all children" he smiled to himself before looking across at Hettie, "how do you know my brothers?" he asked, genuinely curious,   
  
"I met Sigurd yesterday night and the rest.. this morning" Hettie said softly, looking back to where Sigurd stood surprised by the door. "I didn't realize they were your brothers" she added, feeling stupider with each passing minute.   
  
"How could you not know we were brothers?" Ubbe asked, his tone sincere but muffled as he held a wet cloth to his nose, "no offense but we are pretty much all over social media together" it was Bjorn who answered this after a quick laugh,   
  
"Henrietta doesn't indulge in social media, she thinks it is  _overrated_ " he laughed, "it was one of the things that made me want to hire her"   
  
"Yes and I am sure the fact that she moves like an assassin in the dark had nothing to do with it" Hvitserk joked, making Hettie's cheeks flush red in embarrassment.   
  
"I said  _one_ of the things" Bjorn joked back with his younger brother.   
  
  
  
Half asleep Hettie watched the five brothers interact, she should have known better, something about Sigurd had seemed so familiar, too familiar. Of course it had something to do with Bjorn, she was embarrassed to have worked for him for almost twelve months and have no real idea of what his life was like outside this apartment, outside his children.   
  
A hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present and Hettie looked up into Bjorn's face, he looked surprisingly relaxed but she supposed that came with being surrounded by his family.   
  
"Don't overthink it," he said softly, "I just happen to have a big family, you already knew that".   
  
"Nana?" A voice came from the top of the stairs and Hettie looked up quickly to see Erik peering down the stairs, quick to her feet she stepped over the gate and went up to him. "Are there bad men downstairs?" he whispered into her ear when she got to him, and peering back down at the five sets of eyes she had half the mind to tell the little boy that she wasn't quite sure.   
  
"No darling" she said instead, deciding that it was far too early in the morning to be fooling around. "Your uncles are here to see you, and your father is home,"   
  
Each of the Lothbrok sons came and said hello and goodnight to their nephew, and by the time the excitement had died down and Bjorn had given his brothers guest rooms, Hettie found herself cleaning up specks of blood off the tiles. Ubbe and Hvitserk were strangely forgiving when she apologized for hurting them, and Ivar was quiet, thoughtful as he went to his rooms without really saying goodnight.   
  
"Small world, huh?" Sigurd's voice came from the bottom of the stairs and Hettie looked up to see him watching her from the railings. "I didn't think that I would be seeing you again," he added honestly, his a hand moving to scratch the back of his head. When she laughed at that he quickly corrected himself "not because I didn't want to - I just mean, I'm so busy and this family is crazy so I don't... I didn't think you'd want to see me again"   
  
"Maybe I would have liked to see you again," Hettie said casually, getting to her feet and rinsing the cloth out in the sink. The water ran a muted pink, and she let it run until it was transparent once again. She would have to use bleach to get the stains from the light fabric, but she had done it many times before.   
  
"Are you glad to see me now?" Sigurd asked as he walked into the kitchen, he leaned across the bench and watched her dry her hands.   
  
"I can think of a dozen better circumstances that we could have seen one another in," Hettie joked, smiling to herself,   
  
"That's not an answer," Sigurd teased, his eyes creasing in mirth,   
  
"I guess so," she smiled back at him stupidly, feeling like a child all over again. Watching him move around the table until he stood next to her, his back against the bench.   
  
Gently he reached across and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. Complying Hettie let herself rest against his chest and look up at him, he looked far too satisfied with himself as he brushed hair off her face and ran his hands down her hips until he gave a light squeeze of her ass. Leaning down so that his breath tickled her neck he pressed a small kiss just beneath her ear,   
  
"You're even hotter when you're being a badass" he said half seriously, humor in his tone. Hettie leaned back and looked into his brilliant eyes, they were vibrant blue but in one the pupil seemed to be split, displaying the image of an almost-snake.   
  
"Henrietta are you downstairs?" a voice from upstairs came, jolting Hettie back to her senses she stepped back, pulling herself from Sigurd's arms.   
  
"I am," she called back softly, moving to the railings to peer upwards.   
  
"Come up here, I don't want you sleeping on the couch" something in his tone was different, so glancing back at Sigurd she offered an apologetic smile and gathered her things before heading back upstairs.   
  
Once there Bjorn escorted her into the room between his own and the boys, his eyes trailed Sigurd as he went off to his room and he shook his head minutely. Raising an eyebrow Hettie looked at him, waiting for an explanation.   
  
"It's nothing," he said with a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I did not intend to bring them back tonight, we got to talking and it was simple to imagine that we were just brothers, and that was all that mattered" he began pulling back the sheets on the bed and motioned for her to move into the bed. Sheepishly she followed his direction until she sat against the pillows,   
  
"Isn't that all that matters?" she asked curiously, wiggling down into the soft mattress, "they seem like good enough men,"   
  
"They are," Bjorn sighed, moving to the doorway he paused and Hettie watched him intently,  
  
"But?"   
  
"But they always want what is mine, and I am not fond of sharing" the light was flicked off at the end of his words, and Hettie was left sitting in the dark wondering exactly what  _that_ was supposed to mean. 


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pace quickens a little bit, questions are given without answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished most of this alongside the previous chapter but decided I wanted to edit it a little bit before posting! The plot is sort of coming together now, but sorry for raising so many questions without any real answers!

It felt a little strange taking care of the children whilst various Lothbrok sons filtered through the house, Hettie found that out of all the brothers it was Sigurd who spent the most time with the children, and consequently, her. He had an easy sense of humor and wasn't afraid to playing around with Erik and Refil. One afternoon he offered to accompany her to the park alongside the boys and she easily agreed to the venture. 

She had been working a lot more lately, rarely going home other than to get clean clothes and shower, but even then Bjorn had started adding her clothes to his and his brothers washing. Not that she could complain, he paid her for all the time she spent taking care of the boys of course, and more often than not the groceries were from his fridge.

He had not mentioned his words to her on the night she had nearly broken two of his brothers noses and everything seemed to have gone back to normal, everyone was always so busy that they barely bothered her a glance. Even Ivar had given up giving her furrowed looks and instead was focused on a mountain of paperwork he had been sifting through since the morning after his arrival. 

"Do you mind if I drive?" Sigurd asked as they went into the garage, Refil was pulling at one of his braids and for a moment Hettie was so focused on the little boys efforts to untie the tiny transparent tie that she didn't reply. "Hettie?"

"Hm?" she shook her head to clear her thoughts out and put Erik into his place, making sure he was safely fastened in the booster seat. She walked around to Sigurd and opened her hands to Refil who lunged into her immediately, the little boy giggling all the while she tried to make sure he wasn't dropped. "You're so silly" she teased as she put him in his seat, tickling him and sprinkling his soft face with little kisses,

Smiling to herself she moved to get into the front seat when Sigurd put his hand softly on the top of the door, his body in her way. Looking up at him Hettie bit her bottom lip and raised a brow to look around, as though she wasn't sure what he was waiting for, 

"Do you mind if I drive?" Sigurd repeated, a big smile on his face as he watched the realization flick over her features. 

"Crap" she laughed under her breath, "sorry, I was miles away". 

As they drove out of the penthouse garage Hettie found herself watching Sigurd's hands as he drove, she had often done the same thing with Bjorn just to quell her boredom. Both boys were signing and chatting happily in the back and for the most part she had been silent. 

"So" Sigurd said as he went around a corner, a single hand resting lazily on the wheel whilst the other lay against his thigh "what made you want to work for my big bad brother?" he asked with a grin, glancing across at her curiously for a split second. 

"It just happened," Hettie answered honestly, "one day I was a personal assistant to Halfdan in the office, the next I was a.. nanny" 

"Assassin nanny" Sigurd laughed, she scoffed at him, "what?" 

"I'm not an assassin," she said defensively, "that's not.. my job" she added tensely, 

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you" Sigurd said seriously, "I think it's really cool what you do, it's not an easy job. I remember growing up we went through about six nannies because they couldn't handle the pressure" pulling into a car spot at the park Sigurd looked at her searchingly for a moment before smiling again, "and we never loved our nanny the way the boys love you, right?" he raised his eyebrows at Refil and Erik in the backseat and they readily agreed, easing her mind. 

Outside the four of them walked around the park, Refil ran away cheekily and with Sigurd chasing after him Hettie sat with Erik in the soft grass making daisy chains. When she had completed hers she wrapped it around the little boys neck and he beamed up at her, thanking her earnestly as he promised to finish hers soon, 

"How sweet," an older woman said as she passed by, when Hettie looked up at her she noticed that the woman was watching Sigurd chase Refil around, picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder. "You and your husband make a beautiful family, it is so nice to see a young couple who play with their children outside. I see far too many little ones on those iPads and Playstations these days," she said sadly to herself, before Hettie could correct her the woman said farewell and wandered off. 

"What was that about?" Sigurd asked as he ran over, Refil squealing playfully in his arms, "did she tell you your fortune?" he joked, making Hettie smile up at him in amusement. 

"She said that I should be careful who I let play with my children, she thought you looked sketchy" she teased back at him, making him drop down to the grass and pin her down so that the boys could crawl all over them, 

"Did she just?" he laughed as Refil blew raspberries on her tummy, laughing Hettie shook her head, "tell the truth or you'll have to endure torture by raspberries!" 

"Okay, okay!" she gasped as she wiggled out of his grip and tickled Refil back, Erik crawling up onto Sigurd's back to wrestle him. "She said that we were a sweet family, liked that we were all outside and not on our iPads"

 

When they got home the house seemed to be empty, walking into the entry and through the kitchen Hettie craned her head to see if anyone else was around when she heard voices raised at the top of the stairs. 

"How dare you bring them here, into my home without telling me!" the voice was all too familiar, as was the shrill tone. Torvi shouted at Bjorn, angry at him for bringing his brothers into the house without her knowledge. "You know what your brothers are capable of, yet you let them sleep in the same house as my sons? My babies" Torvi shouted, looking back to Sigurd Hettie quickly moved and took Refil from his arms. 

"They are my children too, Torvi and this is my house, I own it" Bjorn's voice was tired, bored. 

Erik was hugging the side of Hettie's leg as Torvi came thundering down the stairs, closely followed by Guthrum. When Torvi saw her her expression softened, Guthrum looked troubled but offered her a small smile. 

"Hettie, darling" Torvi said fondly, moving forward she kissed Refil's head but didn't try to take him from her. "How are my two special little boys?" 

"I'm not little any more mama" Erik complained, sucking the inside of his cheek as he pointedly looked away, a hurt expression crossed Torvi's face but she made no comment. "I'm sorry I won't be staying for long this time sweethearts, Guthrum and I have to go and see someone whilst we are in town, but I'll text you Hettie - we can all get lunch" before Hettie could reply Torvi slipped past her and scowled at Sigurd on her way out. 

"Guthrum" Hettie said quickly when the nineteen year old went to walk past her, she reached out her free hand and squeezed his hand, "it wouldn't hurt you to reply once in awhile, you know" she whispered, a small smile on her full lips. 

"Sorry, Hettie" Guthrum replied, "I -"

"Guthrum quickly," Torvi called from the front door, and just like that he was gone again. 

 

Sigurd helped settle the boys after that and Hettie excused herself to go upstairs, once there she found Bjorn sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. 

"Is she gone?" he asked without looking up, his voice sounded exhausted,

"She is" Hettie confirmed, leaning in the doorway. 

"Did she take the boys?" 

"What?" Hettie asked, stiffening, "no, I would never let her take them" before she could realize what she said Bjorn looked up at her in surprise, clapping a hand over her mouth she shook her head, "I didn't mean that, I just mean - I" frowning she looked back to Bjorn who was smiling at her in amusement, 

"I doubt they would want to leave you for her anyway" he thought out loud, a bitterness in his tone. "She's hardly ever around for them these days," lowering her hand Hettie felt a bud of guilt grow in the pit of her stomach, "she spends so much time chasing my mother around on her business ventures that anyone would think that she had but one son, not three"

"I'm sorry, Bjorn" she shook her head, "I -"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Henrietta" Bjorn sighed, "you take wonderful care of my sons, I will never be able to repay you for that" 

"You don't need to" Hettie replied sincerely, "I love taking care of them, I love them" she clarified. 

"I believe that they love you too," getting to his feet Bjorn walked to the door and together they went back down the stairs where Sigurd was laying on the rug reading to the boys. As soon as they saw Bjorn and Hettie coming down the stairs they abandoned their uncle and ran over, Hettie took Erik and Bjorn Refil. 

"It must almost be time for baths, no?" Hettie pulled a thoughtful face and gave Erik a sideways glance, making the little boy squirm in protest. 

"Let me do that tonight," Bjorn smiled, moving forward and taking Erik into one of his strong arms, "I think you deserve a little break, how long have you been her for now? Eight - nine days straight?" Hettie pulled a face and he smiled at her, "why don't you stay home tonight, if you don't mind. I'd like to spend a little time with my sons". 

After a quick farewell with the boys and a tight hug from Sigurd she grabbed her overnight bag and headed out.

 

She wasn't sure why she felt so sad leaving the house but she did. By the time she got home she felt positively miserable, she always felt a little sad after leaving the boys but this time it felt different. Running herself a bath to ease the tension in her body Hettie had barely gotten in when she received a call, 

"Hettie speaking, how may I help?" She asked as she sunk down into the water, 

"Gross is that actually how you answer the phone?" the familiar tone Sara from the office laughed into her ear, making Hettie roll her eyes in good nature. 

"Yes it is, bully" she scoffed, "what do you want?" 

"Rude" Sara laughed, "I was just wondering when you were going to tell me, one of your best friends, that you had been dating a Lothbrok brother?" 

"I'm not dating a Lothbrok brother but I promise to tell you when I am" Hettie answered with her own laugh this time, "why on earth would you think that?"

"Why - do you live under a rock?" Sara paused and then made a noise "you actually do, don't you? You're that one friend I have that doesn't follow me on Instagram and not because you have some secret grudge against me but because you don't use social media like a weirdo, right?" 

"Okay now that is rude" Hettie laughed, sinking deeper into the tub, "but yes, I am that friend" they laughed together for a long moment,

"I'll show you, I'll hang up and send you something but you have to text me back about it, okay?" 

"Okay" Hettie scoffed, hanging up the phone. 

Sara texted her a link shortly after and Hettie was more than mortified by what she found: images of Sigurd and her playing with the boys at the park this morning. The article was titled Lothbrok son and his secret lover which seemed positively ridiculous and Hettie was sure she could come up with at least four better titles for the article. At the bottom of the article she found links to several other articles and guiltily found herself reading about the Lothbrok brothers. 

They were worth more than she had ever imagined, Ubbe was apparently married, and Hvitserk may have been married in Vegas.. twice. Ivar and Sigurd were less monitored but there were comparison images of Ivar as a boy with braces and crutches to help him walk alongside his apparent 'miracle' recovery as an adult. Making a mental note to dig deeper into that at a later date Hettie found herself looking for anything on Sigurd, but coming up dry. There had been a gay rumor floating around but she felt she could vouch for the falsehood of that one. 

And then there was Bjorn. He had been married before too, and had.. a daughter? Hettie sat up quickly and hugged her knees, her phone dangerously close to the top of the water as she read about Bjorn's first wife and an attack in which she had had acid thrown in her face. Shortly after they divorced and the daughter had been found dead in the woods near their old home some months later. Their had been an entire investigation but no charges had been pressed. 

When she was dried and dressed Hettie guiltily cleared her browsing data and replied to Sara to explain what the article was actually about. She sat down on her couch and put her head in her hands, not sure what to do with the information she had acquired. It could be false she told herself, almost reassuringly. She had seen Bjorn with his sons, she knew he was a good father.. 

A knock on the door made her almost jump from her skin, and picking up one of her pillows she slipped to the front door and peered through the peephole. To her surprise it was Sigurd standing at the other side, 

"Sorry for showing up unannounced" he said with a tense smile when she opened the door and let him in. "It's probably a bit creepy that I found your address at Bjorn's house and just showed up, isn't it?" Hettie nodded but smiled all the same,

"Just a little" she admitted, moving to put the pillow down, 

"You don't have like, a gun inside that pillow do you?" Hettie raised an eyebrow at him, 

"What makes you ask that?" she asked sincerely, 

"You just seem like a very cautious woman, despite the way we met" Hettie threw the pillow at him and he felt around it. When he was satisfied it had nothing in it he went to apologize, 

"Push in the middle" she advised with a wave of her hand, "undo the zip" when she followed her guidance and reached into the zip he came out with a small butterfly knife, 

"Are you cautious, or crazy?" he thought out loud as he flipped the blade out, "actually I don't care" he shrugged and put the blade back inside the pillow and zipped it up. "It's a dangerous city" he reasoned to himself, moving forward he reached out and cupped her cheek, 

"It's a dangerous world" Hettie reasoned back at him, moving into his touch she placed her hands against his chest, "don't you think?" her mind went to the image she had seen of tape over the trees in the woods outside Bjorns old house. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep it out, 

"Definitely" Sigurd murmured, seemingly not noticing her change. He pulled her closely against his body and Hettie let herself lean into his comfort. 

Taking this as an invite he gently titled her face upwards and kissed her hungrily, as though he had been waiting far too long to do so. His right hand went down her back and pulled up the bottom of her nightgown to grip at her ass. The sudden pinch made her gasp, granting his tongue entry into her mouth. Guiding her backwards onto her couch he knelt on the carpet and looked up from between her legs with a look of clouded mischief on his face. 

Kissing her thigh he moved his way down towards her center, once there he ran two fingers over the thin cotton of her underwear, drawing a moan from the back of her throat, with his teeth he playfully pulled at the top of her underwear before leaning backwards and pulling them off one leg at a time. Re-positioning himself Sigurd kissed all over her until needy hands gripped at his hair and encouraged him to be more direct. 

Using his tongue he painted a single line between her lips, a soft noise escaping him at her taste. She grinded herself gently against him as he became more insistent, her hands in bunches through his hair. 

"Jesus" she complained when he pulled backwards from her as she neared her climax, panting Sigurd pulled her nightgown up with him as he stood, helping to rid her of it,

"Can't let you have all the fun now can we?" He asked with a raised brow as he tossed the gown to the side, she considered it for a moment before responding,

"Well, we could" she teased as he played with his belt buckle and loosened his pants. Shaking his head he climbed onto the couch over her and positioned his cock with her as he kissed down her throat. He was rough as he entered her, a surprised cry left her lips but he covered her mouth with his own to drown it out.

"Sorry" Sigurd sighed into her ear as he moved slowly in and out of her for a moment, "I've been wanting to fuck you all damn week" he growled into her ear, making her moan as his pace intensified. 

Her hand between her legs Hettie rubbed at her clit and she felt herself nearing her climax again when her phone began to ring, looking at Sigurd he shook his head and gently brought a hand to her throat, it can wait he panted into her ear, driving her closer and closer and he gripped at her neck. His phone rang as soon as her stopped and she shifted, 

"Hettie leave it, please" Sigurd growled, sucking at her neck. Something in his tone was off, making her falter for a split moment. Closing her eyes tightly she concentrated on the build up in her gut desperately, trying to ignore the vibration on the coffee table. 

"Fuck" Sigurd growled, his rough pace speeding up as he drilled into her, Hettie cried out shortly after and felt her climax rock all through her body. Just as Sigurd slumped over her and kissed a trail down across her collarbone there was a knock at the door, insistent and loud. 

Startled Hettie got to her feet and pulled her nightgown over her head, smoothed her hair back and looked back to Sigurd who had done his pants up and was rubbing sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. The knocking grew louder and Hettie quickly went and opened the door, her pillow back in her hand, 

"Nana!" Erik shouted from the doorway once it was opened, Bjorn stood tall in her doorway, Refil in his arms. "Why didn't you answer your phone?" the child demanded, 

"I'm sorry," was all she could offer, looking at Bjorn she searched his face, 

"I know I told you to stay home this evening but there has been an emergency and I need you to take care of the boys if you can" as he spoke quickly he looked straight through her, his expression unreadable. 

"Of course, just let me get -"

"There are clothes at home, please Henriette this is an emergency" Hettie bulked, she could feel cum dripping down her thigh as they spoke, mortified she quickly said she needed to grab her toothbrush and used the moment to wipe herself off. 

"Nana can you carry me?" Erik asked as she walked out the front door, Sigurd was standing outside now too, not looking at Bjorn.

"Of course," Hettie answered uncertainly, picking him up. "What's happened?" 

"A family emergency" Sigurd answered under his breath bitterly, Hettie looked at Bjorn and for the first time saw a violence cross his face she had not seen before. 

"I'll be home within a few days, there's nothing for you to worry about, I promise" he reassured her as they stood out the front of her apartment block, Sigurd climbed into one of the two cars without saying goodbye and Bjorn looked at her for the first time. "I'm sorry to draw you into this Henrietta, really I truly am" he said softly, kissing the top of Erik's head and then her own. "I'll see you soon"

As Hettie sat between the two boys and their seats she held their little hands and watched the city lights as they drove back to the apartment. All she could see in the boys was the image of that tape, she had so many questions and absolutely no answers.


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pace begins to move forward, and we learn a little more about some of the Lothbrok children and their relationships.

The house felt too quiet once Hettie had put Refil and Erik to bed, all the open space and silence after the week she just had felt surreal. Slumping down onto the couch she considered catching up on some television but found herself too distracted.   
  
Sigurd had seemed distracted, too. Had he known what was going on before he came over to see her, and had he known it would be Bjorn trying to call her when they were together? Pursing her lips Hettie decided that she would ask next time she saw him, she shouldn't really be messing around with Lothbrok regardless of what she may or may not have been feeling. The thought left her feeling a little used, and heading upstairs she went and had a quick shower to wash the odd feeling off her body.   
  
The following morning went much as she had expected, Refil and Erik kept her hands full and she heard nothing from Bjorn about his return. Around midday Torvi called to let her know that she wouldn't be able to come back to the house for a few more days but to give the boys kisses from her.   
  
"Nana?" Erik asked after Refil had gone down for one of his naps, sleepy herself Hettie looked across at the little boy who was supposed to be resting, "where is Dad?"   
  
"He had a meeting, he'll be home as soon as he can" she answered truthfully as she got to her feet. When she reached him she brushed the hair off his forehead and gave him a soft kiss on his temple,   
  
"What about Mama?" he asked, his eyes seeming too knowledgeable for that of a five year old.   
  
"I don't know the answer to that one, but I am sure she will be back soon" Hettie said, trying to smile for him,  
  
"She's never home, she is always too busy for us" Erik sniffed and stood up, trying to get out of the crib. Despite knowing better Hettie took him up into her arms and sat back down on the couch with him leaning into her chest. "I miss her sometimes" the little boy confided, "but I am glad you are here Nana, I like it when you are here" her heart tense she held him against her as tightly as she dared,   
  
"I'm glad I'm here too darling" she whispered against his head, "there is no where else I would rather be".   
  
  
  
It was dinner time by the time anyone showed up, Hvitserk and Ubbe entered the house after being let through by the doorman. Hettie greeted them both as she finished cleaning up the boys and took them upstairs for their baths.  
  
When she set them down for bed she began reading them the jungle book and Ubbe wandered into the room.  
  
"Do you mind if I listen too?" the second eldest brother asked, unfazed Hettie encouraged him to sit on the other side of the couch. Together they had the boys between them and for about half an hour she read until they were tired enough to be put to sleep.   
  
After tucking them both in she turned back to Ubbe and for the first time noticed that his lip was split and had a bloodied line running down it, his eyes were closed and he was leaning back into the couch. Observing him for awhile she decided that he was asleep and covering him in the blanket she was about to leave when he spoke again,   
  
"Could.. could you keep reading?" he asked huskily, "do you have the  _Fox and the Hound_  here?" he added as an afterthought, and unsure of what else to do Hettie went about finding the book and sat down next to Ubbe. Just before she started reading Hvitserk peered in through the crack in the door,   
  
"What are you guys doing?" he whispered, looking between the boys cribs,   
  
"Reading" Ubbe replied softly, a hand lazily splaying towards Hettie, "it's our favorite" he added, which seemed to be an invite.   
  
Hvitserk sat on the other side of Hettie and she helped him settle in beneath the blanket like she would with Erik or Refil. She read to them in much the same manner, enjoying the way the words filled the room with one of her favorite stories. By the time she finished Ubbe had an arm over his face and in the low light she could almost swear that there were tears on his face, to her left Hvitserk was watching her face steadily, a deep sadness worrying at his features.   
  
"You have a really good reading voice," he said, the seriousness almost not suiting his usual cheery tones. "It's reminds me of our mothers" to her right Ubbe scoffed and Hettie turned to him,   
  
"Not that she was reading to  _us_ growing up, Hvitserk" he scolded, Hettie felt herself frowning but chose to say nothing. "I'm sorry Hettie, it's been a long day" he confessed, turning his head and looking at her.   
  
They left the room quietly and Hettie paused in the hallway as Hvitserk went into the bathroom. Ubbe turned and watched her for a moment,   
  
"You look like you're thinking about something" he said softly, leaning against the wall beside her. "Penny for your thoughts?"   
  
"I was just thinking about my mother" Hettie replied just as softly, turning and looking up at him.   
  
"I didn't mean to talk poorly of mine, she's not that bad. Just.. hard to read" Ubbe sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Is she a good mother, your mother?"  
  
"She was" Hettie gave him a small smile, "she died when I was twelve"   
  
"Fuck" Ubbe sucked the inside of his cheek and briefly shut his eyes, "I'm sorry, and here I am complaining about mine not reading to me," he scoffed, a sarcastic laugh on his lips.   
  
"It's fine," she shook her head and took a steadying breath just as Hvitserk walked out of the bathroom,   
  
"Thanks for waiting for me creeps" he rose an eyebrow and Hettie waved him goodnight before disappearing into her bedroom.   
  
  
  
When morning came she was first awake, organizing breakfast for everyone in the house and placing it out on the dining room table. After she had woken and changed the boys into their day clothes she sat with them and ate her own food. Hvitserk and Ubbe trailed down shortly after and thanked her for the food,   
  
"Do you know when Bjorn will be back?" Hvitserk asked as he buttered some toast, "he didn't really give us an ETA"   
  
"No," Hettie shrugged, "I'll let you know when I hear, what about Sigurd and Ivar?"   
  
"They'll probably come back with Bjorn, but neither are answering my texts" Ubbe rolled his eyes and cut into his bacon.   
  
The next two days were quiet with no updates from the brothers, Hvitserk and Ubbe were good enough company and Hettie found that their nephews quite enjoyed playing house with them. On the third day she received a text from Sigurd, only two words "get out".  
  
"Who was that?" Hvitserk asked from the kitchen where he was doing the dishes, he looked up from the sink for a moment to gauge her expression.   
  
"Sky Mobile" Hettie replied, "I need to recharge my data package" she added with a sigh. Turning away she took a steadying breath and went through her contacts, "do you think I should do the day and night package or the all inclusive one?" she asked over her shoulder.   
  
Hvitserk answered but she wasn't listening, quickly typing out a message she sent it to the only person she trusted to help her and slipped her phone into her back pocket, silent mode activated.   
  
"Do you think it's going to rain?" she asked Ubbe when he walked into the lounge from upstairs. The older Lothbrok brother looked at her and then out the large glass windows.   
  
"Maybe," he shrugged, coming to sit beside her on the couch. One of his arms was draped casually behind her as he flicked through the channels looking for something interesting. "Why?" he asked after a while,   
  
"I thought that we could go and take the boys for a walk through the park when they wake up," Ubbe was shaking his head before she finished talking, and Hettie felt her stomach drop, "well we could go whilst they're sleeping then, I feel like I haven't left this house in years" she complained softly, leaning her head back against his arm. Searching her eyes Ubbe considered it,   
  
"I suppose a walk around the block wouldn't hurt" he decided, getting back up he called to Hvitserk that they would be back soon,  
  
"Let me grab some of Torvi's boots from upstairs and I'll be down in a few seconds," she said with a smile. Dashing up the stairs she went into Bjorn's room, and into his walk in robe. Quickly pulling her phone out she sent another message before bending down to grab some boots,   
  
"I think the black ones would look better" Ubbe said from behind her as he pushed the door open a little wider, rolling her eyes Hettie grabbed the ones he mentioned and they walked back down the stairs. Not daring to say goodbye to the boys Hettie sent her prayers to whatever Gods might be listening and headed down the outside stairs.   
  
  
  
"So what made you not want to partake in the digital world?" Ubbe asked as they began a walk around the block, at first Hettie shrugged,   
  
"I guess that I'm just not that interested in who is wearing what or kissing who," she answered, looking back up to him, "I'm also not that interesting so I don't think there would be much of a point" Ubbe laughed at that,   
  
"So you've never even looked up the family?" he tested, something in her tone shifting,  
  
"I actually did once," Hettie said truthfully, "just before Bjorn left, one of the office girls sent me an article about Sigurd and I" Ubbe seemed to relax at that,   
  
"What else did you find?"   
  
"You have a wife" she smiled up at him and Ubbe grinned back down to her,   
  
"I do," he shook his head, "we got married too young, I didn't realize that we would change as we got older" hands in his pocket Ubbe looked up at the grey clouds and shrugged,   
  
"Hvitserk has also been married"   
  
"Twice now" Ubbe confirmed, "he's a little impulsive that one, I'd tell you to be careful but I have a feeling that you like the danger" he teased,   
  
"How do you figure?" Hettie smiled back at him,  
  
"Well for one, you are working for my brother" Ubbe ticked off one finger, "secondly you're sleeping with Sigurd," he glanced down at her and Hettie felt her cheeks go warm, "I'm sure you'll think he's innocent in all of this, but he is just as bad as the rest of us" he laughed darkly,   
  
"I don't think any of you are bad" she said quietly, making Ubbe frown down at her, "the world isn't that black and white" she added as they approach the apartment. A black car had just pulled away and Ubbe tensed beside her.   
  
"Have you heard from Bjorn?" he asked,  
  
"No, have you?"   
  
  
  
The apartment door was ajar and there was blood splatter on the tiles, looking to the stairs Hettie went to head up when Ubbe grabbed her arm,   
  
"Maybe -" whatever he had had to say was silenced when he hit the tiles, unconscious before the fell. Turning quickly she raised her hands to defend herself when she saw the culprits grin.   
  
"Cryptic texts Het" Halfdan said with a grin, "we better split before this one wakes up, I don't think the other one will be awake for awhile though" he motioned to the kitchen and Hettie quickly edged around it to see Hvitserk lying in a small collection of his own blood.   
  
"Is he alright?" she asked breathlessly, going and checking his pulse. Rolling him onto his side she checked his airways and was oddly relived to hear his breath coming and going. "Did you break his nose?"   
  
"Might have" Halfdan replied with a shrug, "he'll be right, there's an ambulance on the way so lets go before they get here alright?"   
  
Hettie left with a sting of guilt in her heart, the reassurances came from Refil and Erik having been moved already.   
  
  
  
When they all arrived at the safe house she was more than surprised to see Bjorn and Sigurd waiting on the front porch of the estate.   
  
"Nana!" Erik said from Sigurd's lap, Refil was playing with his fathers beard and turned sleepily as she approached with Halfdan,   
  
"Hello darling," she replied as she leaned down and kissed the top of Erik's head. "What on earth is happening?"   
  
They went inside and Halfdan entertained the boys on in the lounge whilst Bjorn explained what had happened. His fathers second wife had been in an accident and was currently in a coma, the details were blurry but most of those within the family believed that Lagertha, Ragnars first wife, was responsible. Ivar had organized his brothers to go and collect Hettie and the children as a way of controlling the situation, but it seemed that they had gotten cold feet and taken too long. Bjorn believed that due to Ivar's close relationship to his mother, that his mind was clouded with grief and had so far not chosen to take any rash action against his younger half-brother.  
  
"And now we're here" Hettie finished, to which Bjorn nodded.  
  
"Thanks to you and Halfdan," he smiled appreciatively,   
  
"And Sigurd" looking across at him Hettie couldn't read his expression, he looked angry but he had betrayed his brothers, he had  _chosen_ to betray them. "Why didn't you go along with them?" she couldn't help herself from asking,   
  
"I didn't want to," he answered with a shrug, "I'm not into the business of hurting children" as he crossed his arms Hettie noticed that his right knuckle was lightly bruised and couldn't help but wondering if it had anything to do with Ubbe's split lip.  
  
  
  
Halfdan was reading to the boys when Hettie returned to them, a car had just pulled up outside and Bjorn was heading out to greet it.   
  
"How is everything going back at work?" she asked as she settled down beside him and let Erik crawl into her lap,   
  
"Busy, since Bjorn took over our biggest competitor in the travel industry it's been non-stop" Halfdan smiled and made a face at Erik who made one right back, "England is starting to look far too small, did he tell you he was thinking of expanding in the Mediterranean?" the expression on her face must have been answer enough as he continued "just an idea at the moment, but as his father gets older and his younger brothers start looking for a place within the company, Bjorn feels that there would be less conflict if they weren't in too close proximity"   
  
"But just because they're a family doesn't mean he has to give England away" Hettie frowned, brushing Erik's hair off his forehead, "Bjorn built his company back up after his father neglected it for all those years, Lothbrok might be in the title but it was Bjorn who expanded and Bjorn who made it thrive" Halfdan nodded as she spoke but still looked troubled,   
  
"Darlings!" Torvi's voice filled the room and she came into the lounge where she hugged both of her boys, Refil was quick to sit in her lap but Erik was harder to read. The little boy had gone silent and moved closer to Hettie as his mother reached out for him. "How have they been?" Torvi asked sincerely as he looked at her two sons,   
  
"Good," Hettie smiled and brushed Erik's hair off his face, "I think they have been missing their mother though"   
  
"What about their grandmother?" A voice said from the entryway, turning Hettie saw Lagertha standing with a soft smile on her face. Her long blonde hair was braided back beautifully and she wore a simple white dress shirt and pants, both boys ran to her and Hettie got to her feet. "Look at how big you are getting" the older woman fawned over her grandsons, crouching down and ruffling their hair. "And you're here, Henrietta, how nice it is to see you again,"  
  
"It is my pleasure" Hettie answered, moving forward to accept Lagertha's extended hand as she stood, "and call me Hettie, please"   
  
"Hettie" Lagertha repeated as she grasped her hand, for a moment she searched her eyes before releasing her, "I am so happy that you are still with us".  
  
  
  
Sigurd waited up for her that evening, standing on the front porch smoking as midnight approached. Lagertha, Torvi, Halfdan and Bjorn had been in his study for the better part of the evening and Hettie had been taking care of the boys. When she walked out to see him he looked troubled, his face a mask.   
  
"I'm sorry for not warning you," he said before she could speak, he didn't turn to her. "I'll be the first to admit that I didn't have completely honest intentions when I came to see you the other night" he scoffed at himself, "you're just so damn distracting, and I needed a distraction,"   
  
"I don't mean to be distracting," Hettie replied with a frown, she settled against the railing next to him and was quiet for a moment. "Is your bruised knuckle in any way connected to your brothers split lip?"   
  
"Ubbe?" Sigurd laughed at that, "no that wasn't me, that was Margrethe" he turned to face her then, "she's very ambitious, you can imagine how she felt when Ubbe said he didn't want to follow Ivar's plan"   
  
"He didn't?" Hettie repeated, a frown still on her face. Sigurd studied her for a moment before replying,   
  
"Bjorn didn't tell you?" He asked as though he already knew the answer, but didn't give her time to speak as he continued, "Ubbe and Hvitserk were supposed to take the boys from the house the day they arrived, but they got cold feet, or Ubbe did"  
  
"But Ubbe didn't leave the house when he got there, he had the split lip when he arrived so I don't understand how -"   
  
"He told her before he left" Sigurd cut across her, "he trusted that she wouldn't tell anyone, but she did. She told Ivar and I about it a few hours after they left," putting his cigarette out he shook his head. "He was stupid to marry her, stupider to stay with her"  
  
"What happened to your hand then?" Hettie asked, turning to look at him as she changed the subject,  
  
"I got in a fight" Sigurd answered with a half smile, he glanced across at her surprise and laughed, "it was stupid, nothing to do with my family falling to shit" he added casually,  
  
"What happened?"  she pushed, turning so she faced him,   
  
"A reporter got a little too close when we were moving from the hospital to the cars," Sigurd shook his head, "I got into a little scuffle, I'm sure you could google it if you wanted to"   
  
"I don't want to" Hettie shrugged, "I like when you tell me things, I would rather hear it from you" she added honestly.  
  
Sigurd looked at her for a long moment, considering her in her entirety before he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Unlike their other kisses it was soft, not demanding or hungry; Hettie returned the kiss, her hand going to his chest she smiled into him and for a moment forgot the state of chaos their world was in. 


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

It was hard to sleep with so many people beneath the same roof, and Hettie learned this quickly. With the boys no needing her attentions as often as usual she had offered to go home one afternoon, only for Bjorn to stop her.   
  
"I don't mean to sound so foreboding Henrietta but we don't know if it would be safe to send you home at this point," he had said with a sigh, leaning over his desk to reach for one file or another. "I've had Halfdan organize to have your rent paid for you until we can get you home, but until then I would ask you to stay"   
  
"It isn't really asking if I don't have a choice" Hettie had replied softly, not looking up as studied his hands, "and I don't need you to pay my rent for me, I can do that"  
  
"I know you can" Bjorn reassured her, "however I feel guilty that things are the way they are, and there's nothing else I can do to try and show you my appreciation for your patience with us" Hettie heard him sigh and looked up into his impossibly blue eyes and felt herself squirm,   
  
"Thank you," she managed before leaving the room, not entirely sure why she felt so overwhelmed by the act of someone else paying her rent. 

  
  
  
She wasn't really sure why she wanted to go home in the first place either, aside from a few small souvenirs from her childhood there wasn't much for her there. Both the children were with her and she was happy to spend her days with them, yet something made her ache for a moment alone. With this in mind she headed out the back of the estate they were staying in, hoping to get some privacy.   
  
The woodland was impressive, after living in the city for most of her life Hettie found the greenery refreshing and calming. Settling beside a small stream that wound back to the front of the estate she took a steadying breath and relaxed her shoulders. All around her she could hear nature, in the stream, the leaves above her and the birds that inhabited the area.   
  
When she was a small girl her mother had once told her that if she was stressed she ought to imagine herself out in the wilderness, and then ask herself  _does it matter as much out here as it does back home?_ That thought had helped her a lot when things got tough with her father.  
  
After thirty minutes or so something caught her attention, across the stream and deeper into the woods there was a person sitting against a tree. Narrowing her eyes Hettie recognised Guthrum from his lean figure and dark, curly brown hair. After a moment she got to her feet and headed towards him,   
  
"What are you doing all the way out here?" she asked as she approached him, stopping a just before she reached him.  
  
"Probably the same thing as you" Guthrum smiled, cocking his head to one side he shielded his eyes against the sun and looked into her face, "I'm sorry for never checking in with you" he thought out loud, his smile faltering, "I never knew what to say, ' _hello Hettie, another boring day on the road where I get to carry my mothers luggage and read articles about how I don't really belong to the family, how are you and my half-brothers_?' doesn't really have much of a ring to it, does it?"   
  
"I suppose not," Hettie replied softly as she took a seat next to him, "do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"About what?" Gunthrum laughed, "I know I'm not a real member of this family, and I know my mother doesn't care to hear it. I do like hearing about my brothers though, I'm glad they're alright, and you too"   
  
"And me?" Hettie smiled, "I think you were an adult when we met, so you don't need to worry about your nanny" she joked,   
  
"I don't worry because you're my nanny, I like to think we are friends too"   
  
"Friends usually text back" Hettie teased, "even when they have nothing good to say" bumping his shoulder she looked forward towards the woodland again. Thinking back Guthrum had been around a lot more in the first few months of her job with Bjorn, although Torvi had been too.   
  
In the beginning Bjorn had been the one travelling with his father, and Torvi had been the one working from home. Hettie had fit into the household seamlessly, Torvi had been busy but attentive to all three of her sons, however when Bjorn came home they had had an argument and their relationship had never been the same. Neither shared the contents of the argument with Hettie naturally, after all she was only a nanny.   
  
"Did they ever tell you why they can't be under the same roof?" Guthrum asked across their silence, as though reading her thoughts.   
  
"I don't believe they ever felt the need to," she answered truthfully, "it was never any of my business, I'm just the nanny" she added with a smile,   
  
"It was all over the internet" Guthrum said quietly, picking at the grass to his side and tossing it downwind, "and you're not  _just_ a nanny Hettie, even I know that"   
  
"I don't use the internet as much as everyone else it would seem," Hettie confessed, ignoring the latter part of his words,   
  
"You never heard about his daughter?" he asked, genuinely surprised. When she was silent he looked away, as though that answered the question. "Well my mother obviously knew bits and pieces, but she didn't realise that it was Aslaug and not Lagertha who was caring for her. When she found out that Ivar and the other brothers were the reason that Bjorn's daughter was left out that night she went missing, she felt betrayed" running a hand through his hair Guthrum seemed to consider his next words, as though he wasn't sure whether or not he agreed with his mother. "It wasn't as though Erik and Refil ever spent time with our uncles, but it felt like he had intentionally been keeping it from her so that he would be able to just keep.. ignoring it"   
  
"I don't think you can ignore something like that" Hettie said softly, her eyes trailing a pair of birds walking along a branch above her.   
  
"Well he did," Guthrum said with an edge, "I remember when I was a kid, his ex wife came up to me in a park once and asked about her. I had no idea what was going on and a few days later she showed up screaming to the house, she didn't even know that Siggy was dead,"  _Siggy_ Hettie thought with an ache in her chest,   
  
"Do you hate him?"   
  
"I don't understand him enough to hate him, plus he saved my mother and I from my father. I don't think I could ever hate him.." Getting to his feet Guthrum extended a hand to Hettie who followed him back towards the house, "I know you came out here for peace and quiet, I'm sorry I spent the whole time talking" he said when the house was in view,   
  
"It's fine" she answered truthfully, "I would rather you said it to me than to anyone else, especially right now considering the state of things." Guthrum smiled at that sincerely, and Hettie felt relieved that he trusted her enough to open up.

  
  
  
Erik had been hard to handle of late, yelling and pushing away at everyone who tried to offer him food, a bath or even help dress him. Hettie found him hiding in her walk-in wardrobe, curled up on a pile of clothes he had pulled off the shelves.   
  
"I've been looking for you everywhere" she said softly, sitting down in the doorway, "your mother says you won't eat your lunch, what's wrong?"   
  
"Everything" the little boy huffed, and at closer inspection Hettie could see that his eyes were puffy from crying, "Dad says that Refil and me are going with Mama to the medium terrain" stifling a laugh at his misuse of words she replied kindly,   
  
"Don't you want to travel with your mother? It will be a great adventure" smiling she tried to capture his eyes but he refused to look at her as a new wave of tears fell from his eyes,   
  
"No!" he half-yelled, sniffing loudly, "I want to stay here with you Nana, I don't want to go without you" surprised Hettie inhaled deeply,   
  
"We can't always be together, but I will be here to hear all the stories when you come home now, won't I?" shuffling forward on her hands and knees she dared to wipe a stray tear off his cheek with her thumb, "I'll never be far," she reassured him,   
  
"Do you promise?" Erik asked, his big blue eyes wide with vulnerbility as he looked up at her, "pinky promise" he added, offering his little finger,  
  
"I promise," Hettie said softly, taking his little finger with her own and shaking it firmly. "Now," she added matter-of-factory as she cleared her throat, "I think _somebody_ needs to eat their lunch!"   
  
After tickling him mercilessly and planting many tiny kisses over his soft face she carried Erik over her shoulder and back into the kitchen, his laughter filling the halls as they moved. When they arrived Refil was sitting on his grandma's lap pulling at one of her many rings and Torvi was typing furiously on her laptop.   
  
"Hm" Lagertha made a soft noise as Hettie settled Erik down and fetched his untouched sandwiches, "Hettie, could you come here a moment?" kissing Erik's head before she left she made her way over to Lagertha smoothly, "did Bjorn tell you that the children will be heading off with their mother shortly?"  _Shortly_ Hettie thought, trying not to frown, she hadn't known a time space but she had assumed it wouldn't be too soon.  
  
"No," she replied with a smile, letting Refil take her hand and play with one of her rings as she sat beside Lagertha. "Erik mentioned it, but only just now"   
  
"Guthrum will be staying, I know he is older than what you are used to however Torvi informs me that you two get along quite well," glancing up at her Hettie felt her cheeks flush at the intensity of the woman's gaze. Giving her a curt nod she allowed her to continue, "if it would not be too much trouble we would all appreciate it very much if you remained with him, although in a different house for the time being"   
  
"Of course," Hettie replied on instinct,   
  
"Obviously Halfdan will be around just in case. We don't believe there will be any trouble here once the main family is gone," her heart jolted at the words and looking up at Guthrum Hettie could see that he had heard,   
  
"Guthrum is a part of the main family," she felt the words slip before she could stop herself, gently tugging her finger from Refil's grasp she straightened. "With all do respect, Guthrum is just as much a part of this family as the children," Lagertha pursed her lips and considered her for a moment,  
  
"Of course," she said with a tight smile, "and that is why you will be here to protect him for us, as you have protected little Refil and Erik"  


  
  
"You won't stay?" Hettie tried to stop the disappointment from coming into her tone, Sigurd was standing on the porch beside her smoking as he so often did these days, his hand was gently placed beside hers on the railing.   
  
"As if they would let me stay" he muttered back to her, his fingers moving to brush up against her own, "my brothers tried to kidnap my nephews, and I'm more them than I am Bjorn or his mother," he groaned, "and Torvi hates me, I can see it in her face every time she sees Erik or Refil come to me,"   
  
"Where will you go?" she asked as she leaned against him, their relationship was still mostly unexplored. There was certainly no time or space for sex in the estate with security at every corner, but every night they met out here and had a conversation, or simply stood in silence. "Surely it would be more suspicious to let you go back to.. to Ivar" Sigurd tensed at the sound of his youngest brothers name and Hettie sighed,   
  
"I think they trust me not to go back to him," chewing his lip he thought about it for a moment, "I'll go with Bjorn to talk with our father, if there is anything my father can relate to in the world it's discourse within the family. Hopefully he can get Ivar to see reason,"   
  
"What do you think will happen?" Hettie asked sincerely; Sigurd looked at her in surprise, as though he wasn't used to being asked for his opinion on these matters.   
  
"I think my father will sort it out, my mother will wake up and we will all go back to playing the dysfunctional family from afar" taking a drag of his cigarette he shook his head minutely, "what do you think will happen?"   
  
"Me?" Hettie exhaled, "it isn't my job to -"   
  
"Christ, Hettie" Sigurd laughed in exasperation, "you know you're your own person behind your job, right?" he asked, "I don't get why you don't just do a quick google search of the family so you don't feel so wounded every time someone mentions something you haven't been told to face to face".   
  
"Of course I am," Hettie shook her head and moved to turn her back against the railing, "and of course I know I could just do a google search and find out all your deepest internet secrets, but I don't care to" she shrugged and glanced at him to see him watching her, "if someone doesn't tell it to my face then I'm not going to go personal detective and try and find it out in my spare time, I'm a nanny. My job is to look after those two boys and keep them safe from people like your brothers, I'm not under any delusion that this family was built on sunshine and daisies, Sigurd"   
  
"Are you sure?" he asked sincerely, his eyes searching for something in her face,   
  
"You aren't the only family that has skeletons, the world is bigger than the Lothbroks, even if you can't see it".  


  
  
She couldn't sleep that night, Sigurd had gotten into a black SUV and not so much as waved as he disappeared up the driveway. Torvi and the two boys had quickly followed and now the house felt empty. Getting up she wandered down into the sitting room and pushing the glass windows open to let the breeze in she sat atop the couch and stared out across the blackness.   
  
It wasn't long before a presence came up behind her and Hettie turned, her right hand tracing the pocket where she kept her butterfly knife. Lagertha looked over her curiously from the top of her head to her feet.   
  
"You know," the older woman began as she sat down on the edge of the coffee table, "I wondered to begin with if you were the right choice for this job, it seems so strange to me that a woman in her 20s had no use for social media. Everyone who has worked for us in the past has known  _about_ us, and sometimes it was a hindrance so I understood why Bjorn chose you," studying Hettie's face her eyes ran down to her hesitant hand at her pocket, "but" she continued, "there are things you need to know about my family, otherwise you will never understand exactly why the things that happen, happen".  
  
Hettie listened as Lagertha spoke softly about her failed marriage with Ragnar, about his second and now estranged wife Aslaug. It was obvious by the affection in the woman's voice that she still held love for Ragnar, yet the second wife brought forward only annoyance.   
  
She went on to talk about Bjorn's first wife, and how the attack that left her partially blind in one eye and permanently disfigured had made her bitter and paranoid. The woman's name was Porunn, and she had filed for divorce and left Bjorn with their young daughter, Siggy.   
  
Siggy had died of hypothermia after being lost in the woods for five days when she was four. Bjorn had been travelling with Ragnar and Aslaug had been caring for the child alongside her own four sons.   
  
"She could never give us a straight answer as to why she did not file a missing persons report, or send out a search party" Lagertha spoke softly, bitterness filling her tone. "However one of the boys confessed some years later that they had been playing alone and as all children are bound to, they tormented Siggy and it made her run away in a tantrum. Their mother was with a business partner of Ragnar's at the time, by the time Siggy was found it was too late" shaking her head Lagertha looked back up to Hettie, "Bjorn has never been good with facing his demons, he is much like Ragnar in that sense."   
  
Hettie continued to listen as Lagertha spoke, small details until she had seemed to run out of things to say.   
  
"Do you ever see your father?" the question caught her off guard and Hettie glanced across in surprise, "he was a good friend to Ragnar when they were young men, he sacrificed a lot to make sure that he could achieve some of his dreams," the words were kind but they made Hettie's heart twist. "Did he ever mention us to you?"  
  
"No, I don't speak to him" she answered simply, "he died," the words were barely above a whisper as she looked down at her hands, "he was killed" she corrected herself, "I knew that he had worked for Ragnar, but it wasn't a part of our day to day lives"  
  
"Oh" Lagertha looked breathless for a moment, "I'm sorry, no one told me"  _now you know how it feels_ Hettie wanted to say, but she stopped herself. Her family was not famous, they were soldiers. The cement that Lothbrok industries had built itself on, a strong foundation but not flashy enough to be in the press. "Leif was a good man, I'm sorry to hear that he passed"   
  
"He was a good father" Hettie thought out-loud, "he taught me everything I know". 

 

 

The house that they were moved to turned out to be none other than the apartment Hettie had first met the curious Lothbrok half-brothers. When Guthrum asked her how she knew her way around she didn't answer him, feeling slightly abashed about sharing her sex life with her bosses son. From the end of the hallway she caught Halfdan raising an eyebrow at her but chose to stay silent on the matter.  
  
Settling herself in Sigurd's room Hettie finally had a chance to look at some of the pictures that lined the walls. They weren't professional as she had imagined they might be, just family photos that Aslaug and Ragnar had taken. The boys all looked so sweet and innocent as children, it made Hettie's heart ache to remember Hvitserk and Ubbe as she had last seen them.   
  
Ivar was taking a photograph in one of the pictures, he was only a boy. Braces were worn on his legs but he was smiling, the rare sight made her furrow her brows and look harder. It made her wonder what had happened to make the boy so hard and brooding.   
  
"He was always his mothers favourite" Bjorn spoke from the doorway, he walked in when she looked back to him and stood by her side. "She catered to him because of his osteogenesis imperfecta"   
  
"So that's what it is" Hettie thought out loud, raising an eyebrow at how easy the words rolled off his tongue, "how is it that he is able to walk freely now then?" she added as an after thought,   
  
"He still has braces," Bjorn shrugged, "I don't mean to patronise you Henrietta however you do not pay much attention to anything outside of Erik and Refil" she scoffed at that and he raised his hands playfully, "it isn't a bad thing" he laughed. "Ivar is a proud young man, I think even you could tell that. He wears custom braces beneath his trousers most the time, he can't walk for extended periods of time, his bones easily break, he wasn't allowed to play sport... despite his appearance he is considerably fragile"   
  
"He has very broad shoulders for someone fragile" Hettie replied apprehensively, Bjorn glanced down at her with a curious expression on his face. "He held Refil a lot during meals" she defended herself with a small smile, not looking across at him. "Beside, weren't you supposed to be with Sigurd, going to see your father?"   
  
"Soon" Bjorn answered simply, "there are a few more things I need to take care of before I leave the country, one of them being to make sure my eldest son is safe" Hettie glanced up at him, a small smile tugging at her lips as she realised that he was speaking of Guthrum, "my mother mentioned that you told her about Leif"   
  
"Ah" Hettie lowered her eyes, "she caught me at a vulnerable time," she decided with a little sigh as she remembered the night before, "I had thought that you would have told her, after all." Bjorn kept his eyes on the pictures lining the walls for a moment before he answered her,   
  
"I did not think it was my business to do so, you told me in confidence and I did not want to break your trust" Hettie felt herself exhale at that, something akin to relief and fondness flooding through her. 

  
  
  
He did not stay for long after that, after spending an hour or so with Guthrum and Halfdan he came to Hettie to say farewell.   
  
"Call me if you need me," he said as they walked towards the doors, when Bjorn turned Hettie looked up into his kind face and wondered how long it would take for this to all be over. "I mean it Henrietta, if anything happens, please call me"   
  
"I will, so long as you make some effort to call me Hettie. Only my parents called me Henrietta, it feels like I am being reprimanded every time you use it" she joked in return, the corner of her mouth tugging upwards into a smile. "Please"   
  
"Of course, Hettie" Bjorn smiled back at her and gave her shoulder a squeeze, for a moment his hand lingered here and unconsciously Hettie placed her own over it.  
  
"Be safe, I am sure that you know your brothers best however I want you to return to us in one piece" pressing her hand down to add sincerity to her words Hettie felt a blush run over her face. "Guthrum, Halfdan and I will be waiting here for your return" she finished, removing her hand and cupping it in front of her.   
  
"Thank you," he replied warmly, rubbing her shoulder for a quick moment before turning and leaving. He called out a final goodbye to the others who both called one back, and then the door was closed.   
  
Walking back down the hallway Hettie paused in the kitchen to collect her thoughts. So much had been going on over the past month and a half that she had barely any time to think for herself, time had really gotten away from her.  
  
Checking her emails she went through her bills and replied to some of her old work colleagues who had been trying to coax her out since she began working for Bjorn over a year ago. The Christmas Party was upcoming in the next month, which meant...  _Christmas_ she thought with surprise. She hadn't bought anything for the boys yet, and she would have to get something for Sara, Halfdan, Bjorn and Torvi as they really were her only friends outside of the children.   
  
"What has you so transfixed?" Guthrum asked as he came out into the kitchen and opened the fridge, Halfdan trailed in behind him with a yawn.  
  
"Boring adult things" Hettie answered as she shut off her phone screen, "what are you doing?" she fired back as she looked at him, Halfdan settled beside her and placed his laptop on the counter without speaking.  
  
"Looking for something to eat," Guthrum replied as he looked through the fridge, "I'm disgusted by all the health food in here, I shouldn't be surprised considering their mother runs one of the largest fashion agencies in Europe and all of the models look like they do HIIT three times a day" he grumbled, pulling out half a pineapple and gracelessly dropping it on the bench. Halfdan grunted a small laugh at that and Hettie gave him a sideways glance,  
  
"You sound like you pay a lot of attention to the models" she teased as she got to her feet and pulled out a cutting board for him,   
  
"I'll show you," Guthrum laughed, opening several draws before getting to one with knives. Hettie pointed across at the knife block aside the fridge but he pointedly ignored her. "They have some of the fashion shows on Netflix" when he turned to Halfdan the man raised a hand to signal that he wasn't interested, but gave them both an encouraging smile.

  
  
  
Sitting down with a chopping board between them on the black leather couch, Guthrum and Hettie spent half the afternoon watching fashion shows and short documentaries on TV. She hadn't realised that Aslaug ran the Fafnir Agency but after seeing her on screen several times she had to admit it made sense. Aslaug was the embodiment of beauty, her light hair curled perfectly around her angular face and gorgeous light eyes in every frame the director shot of her, although Hettie supposed that was intentional.   
  
Several times Ubbe, Hvitserk and Ivar were seen on the sidelines watching the models walk, always dressed impeccably from head to toe. Hettie made a point to look at Ivar in particular, studying his legs as he moved about she thought she noticed a stiffness to them, but could not be too sure she wasn't imagining it.   
  
After the third documentary Guthrum moved through the PS4 apps to get into YouTube, from there he searched up his own name and showed Hettie some videos he had posted from the worldwide travels he had done.   
  
"These are really neat" she told him as she watched him bungee jumping from impossible heights and diving with sea turtles and dolphins.   
  
"The power of the internet" Guthrum teased, wiggling his fingers on both hands as though casting a spell. "You should really catch up, it's fun to see the world through all of this" as though to prove his point he found several videos of Sigurd playing with a band, singing and using multiple instruments. "It'll help you learn faster, if you ever want to catch up with the Lothbroks"   
  
"Tch" Hettie scoffed and looked across to him, "you're as bad as Sara, I don't need to catch up because none of this stuff makes you who you  _are_ it is just stuff. I like to take people on face value" she added in defence. 

  
  
  
As the afternoon dragged on Hettie did a quick clean of their surroundings and Guthrum disappeared into one of the rooms on his laptop, when she went to check on him she noticed that he was speaking to a girl through the screen and decided it would be better not to interrupt.   
  
After she closed his door softly her phone vibrated against her hip, opening it she read a message from Sigurd asking if she wanted to meet up quickly before he went to the airport. She replied quickly, telling him that she couldn't because she was taking care of Guthrum. A ring came shortly after from Guthrum's phone and he called out from his room,  
  
"Don't be such a nanny Hettie, I am sure I will be fine for half an hour, plus Halfdan is here!"   
  
She considered texting Bjorn but thought better of it, this wasn't something he needed to worry about and she was sure that Sigurd ought to have told him already. Throwing on a coat over her usual attire Hettie headed outside after telling Halfdan what she was doing. As she walked into the cold English air she pulled her coat about herself a little tighter and was about to call Sigurd when he pulled up beside the curb,   
  
"Afternoon," he said as he wound down the window of his black range rover, "fancy a lift?"   
  
"Where are we going?" she asked apprehensively, glancing back to the apartment. "I can't be gone for long,"  
  
"Just for a ride, unless you don't want to see me?" Hettie considered the last time she had seen Sigurd and let herself take time to reply, "ouch" he added playfully after her hesitation,   
  
"Well you weren't really  _nice_ to me the last time we saw one another, you didn't even say goodbye" running his had through his hair Sigurd seemed to consider what she had to say,   
  
"I have a lot going on" he replied quietly, looking away from her, "I didn't mean to make you feel like I wasn't being nice,"  
  
"I didn't feel like you weren't being nice, Sigurd" Hettie reprimanded, "you weren't nice"   
  
"I apologize for being unintentionally unkind" Sigurd offered, a small smile on his lips as he tried to meet her half way, "come for a drive with me, I want to spend a little time with you before I go away and we can't see each other anymore,"   
  
"It's not as though I will never see you again" Hettie muttered as she got into the passenger seat, "no one is dying. I'm sure this will all be settled soon enough."  
  
"It will be" he answered confidently, "I don't doubt that it will be, but that doesn't mean we will be able to see one another," she looked across at him, "I mean I don't think that my eldest brothers nanny really has enough time between babysitting and catering to her boss for a relationship" the way he spoke sounded half part hurt and half part cruel, and it make Hettie baulk.   
  
"I wasn't aware that was what you wanted, considering the last time we slept together you were trying to fuck your mother's coma out of your head" the venom that came out wasn't completely warranted, and Hettie felt a hot flush of shame at the surprise that flickered through Sigurd's eyes. After a moment he laughed, "I'm sorry" Hettie said softly, "I didn't mean -"   
  
"Yeah you did" Sigurd cut across her, his tone sarcastic. "You may think you are some kind of saint because you don't use social media and read up on our family history, but I looked into your file and I know you are just as bad as the rest of us" he turned a corner sharply and Hettie steadied herself by holding the door handle. "After I watched you that night almost break my brothers nose I got curious, I asked Bjorn but as with most things he was too proud to tell me, but not smart enough to hide the files anywhere special,"   
  
"I don't know why everyone in your family lives under the impression that you're  _bad_ Sigurd, but I don't think -"   
  
"Be quiet and listen to me," Sigurd cut her off again, glaring across at her. "I tried to keep you out of this, you know the last girl listened to me and got out before the shit hit the fan but you are in some ways, so damn thick Hettie" he shook his head as he continued down a narrow street, "the last time Ivar got involved in the family politics it nearly tore us apart, and that was over something as stupid as Bjorn wanting to keep his sons away from him, as he should. I mean would  _you_  want Ivar near your children if he was the reason for the first ones death?" Hettie whipped her head around to stare at him in shock, "but this isn't about that, this is about the fact that Ivar will always get what he wants because he is smarter than anyone who tries to stop him, he is smarter than our parents, and he is damn well smarter than Bjorn,"   
  
"I don't know what this has to do with me" Hettie breathed when Sigurd was quiet for a moment,   
  
"Your father let people walk all over him too, do you know that? My father destroyed your family and yet you still serve us, you cater to Refil and Erik like you were born to do it. How could someone who lost their family to another be so willing to serve them?" He sounded desperate as he spoke, turning the car around a corner Hettie started to recognize the way back to the apartment. "Don't you think it's sad, Hettie?"   
  
"No" she whispered, staring straight ahead, "my father died from a work injury, it wasn't anyone's fault."  
  
"He was a fucking  _sacrifice_  Hettie!" Sigurd all but shouted, "Ragnar sent him across the world to try and build up rapport with a competitor and he never came home. Six months later that competitor was taken over by Lothbrok industries and what did you get out of it? Nothing. You were raised by strangers and brought into the company as soon as you finished school, then you were made to be a nanny to the grandchildren of the man who was responsible for all your grief, for every fucking piece of it,"   
  
"My father died from a work injury, it wasn't anyone's fault" Hettie repeated, grinding her teeth against the bitter taste in her mouth. Sigurd pulled up outside the apartment and looked across at her desperately, searching her face.   
  
"Your father was a sacrifice. Just like you" he replied sadly, "Lothbroks chew up and spit out people like you Hettie, why can't you see that?"   
  
"Perhaps Ragnar Lothbrok does, perhaps you do, and Ivar, and your brothers" Hettie answered, wiping a hand across the tears that dared to spill from her eyes, "but Bjorn wouldn't ever treat me that way, nor would his children." Opening the door she headed back into the apartment without so much as glancing backwards.   
  
Something about the way Sigurd had changed his tone frightened her, it made her long for the comfort of familiar walls and the sound of the children playing.   
  


  
  
The apartment felt eerily quiet as she sat on the edge of the couch and caught her head in her hands. Sigurd's words ringing in her head as she ran over their conversation. Ivar had been responsible for Siggy's death? Sigurd had been responsible for the previous nanny quitting? Her father had been a sacrifice? The last one was the hardest piece to swallow, she knew her father had phenomenal opinions on Ragnar Lothbrok, and she had thought that Ragnar had loved him, too. There were so many photographs in storage of Ragnar with her father, Leif.   
  
But a sacrifice? Her father had gone on a business trip, one of the very first people in the chain of command of Lothbrok Industries, and he hadn't come home. He was out on a shooting range in Abu Dhabi and someone had misfired, killing her father on impact. His body had come home, but Hettie had never seen him again.   
  
Swallowing hard she looked up and noticed that none of the lights had been turned on despite the sun having begun to fall. Uneasiness started to fill the air and Hettie began to regret not carrying a gun around with her this morning; with Halfdan nearby she hadn't felt the need to but - where was Halfdan?   
  
Getting to her feet she moved through the apartment silently until she saw the edge of a boot in the doorway of one of the bedroom. Rushing forward she looked wildly in the room, on the carpet with a bloodied wound to his head lay Halfdan. Quickly dropping over him Hettie put her head against his heart and listened, eyes squeezed shut until she heard the gentle thud of life. Sighing in relief she tapped his cheek a couple times and got a half-groan before someone tugged her up by the back of her shirt roughly.  
  
Dropping all of her weight so she crouched Hettie managed to get their grip to release and aimed her fist for their groin, the person dodged backwards quickly. Standing up again but dancing backwards she frowned at Sigurd's frame, he was watching her carefully, a mournful expression crossing his face before it quickly hardened.   
  
"Should of listened to me Hettie" he said, as though having a casual conversation. He lunged forward over Halfdan's body and she danced backwards into the large bedroom.   
  
"You weren't really that direct to be honest" Hettie decided as she parried away from one of his hands, "telling me to get out and then taking me for a drive doesn't really equal much. I did get out, and I went for that drive so in reality, I did listen" she snapped as he came at her again.   
  
"I'm sorry for not being literal enough for you, then" Sigurd barked back as he used his forearm to block one of her fists, growling in frustration Hettie lifted a knee only for him to deflect it with both hands easily. "You're never going to win this fight, you don't even know what you're fighting  _for_ "   
  
"Oh?" Hettie was beginning to breath heavily with every blow she missed, when she finally managed to trip a foot from under him a click sounded from the doorway and she froze. Looking up she saw Ubbe standing over Halfdan, a black pistol pointed at his unconscious head.  
  
"Sorry Hettie, we don't really have time for you to try anything clever" the older brother said with a tilt of his head. Sigurd moved forward and pulled Hettie's hands behind her back before marching her forward. "The car will be here any second so hurry up," Ubbe added as Sigurd moved her out the door.   
  
Her head was spinning as she walked forward, as Sigurd pushed her into Guthrum's room she looked up in surprise to see him sitting on the bed, his lip bloodied.   
  
"Well you tried" the young man joked, a half smile lighting up his face. Hettie felt her heart wretch, it was her job to protect him, and she had failed.   
  
"And failed" another voice said, making Hettie turn to the opposite side of the room. When she looked she found Ivar sitting with Hvitserk at the small table, a pleased expression on his face. "You weren't as clever as I thought, Hettie" he sighed, feigning disappointment; the words made her stomach churn. "But perhaps that is a good thing, if you were as clever as I thought you were, you'd probably be dead".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never stuck to anything long enough to actually answer plot questions so I'm sort of proud that I am still going with this one. This chapter was supposed to be two chapters, but I decided they were too short separately. I really like playing around with the brothers characters, as well as Erik, Refil and Guthrum. I'm half parts excited and nervous to write Ivar in the next few chapters as he is definitely one of my favorite characters.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A foundation begins to form.

Her head was spinning as Hvitserk helped her into one of two vehicles waiting out the front for them. Halfdan stumbled his way into the other alongside Guthrum, Sigurd and Ubbe.   
  
"Careful now" Hvitserk said as he put his hand on the back of her head to get her to duck, "we wouldn't want to hurt that pretty face of yours now would we?" when she looked back at him Hettie felt a pang of guilt for the bruise that disappeared into his hair.  
  
Once she was sitting in the back seat Hvitserk climbed in on one side and Ivar on the other, their was a driver in the front seat but he said nothing. Dressed in a black suit and glasses covering his eyes, Hettie felt as though she was entering an entirely different world.   
  
They were all silent for a long time, Ivar and Hvitserk looking out their windows whilst Hettie stared down at her hands, guilt and anger warring inside her. She kept thinking about Halfdan and Guthrum, and then her thoughts would drift to Erik and Refil and her heart would swell with fear for them.   
  
"What is going to happen to us?" she asked after they entered the countryside, she could see Ivar's face in the rear-view mirror.   
  
"That depends on Bjorn" Hvitserk replied cheerily, he looked to Hettie and suddenly she felt uncomfortable with how closely pressed together their legs were.  
  
"Why is Sigurd helping you?" she continued with the questions, her brows furrowed  
  
"He's our brother, blood is thicker than water after all" Hvitserk shrugged and took a lollipop out of his pocket. Hettie watched his hands as he unwrapped it and placed it in his mouth.   
  
"You know the saying about blood and water isn't actually about family, right?" she shot back at him, "the saying goes something like 'the blood of the convent is thicker than the water of the womb' so the family that we  _choose,_ those are more important than the ones we are given"   
  
"Is that so?" Ivar asked sincerely from her side, Hettie nodded but did not turn to look at him, from her other side Hvitserk shook his head and looked out the window,   
  
"Everyone always thinks that Sigurd and Ivar don't get along," he began, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth when he saw Ivar twitch in his spot.   
  
"I wonder why" Hettie muttered under her breath, to her side Ivar chuckled but chose not to say anything, as if his brother wasn't talking about him as though he were not there.   
  
"They're more similar than anyone gives them credit for," Hvitserk shrugged again and looked back to study Hettie's face, before he could speak there was a lurch of the car and all parties fell forward. "Everything alright up there Harold?" Hvitserk asked, a smile in his tone, the driver grunted a response and then they were back to their silence.   
  
  
  
As they traveled Hettie allowed herself to study Ivar from the mirror, every once in a while his brow would furrow as though in pain, but then relax. After awhile she braced herself enough to look at his legs. They sat comfortably enough, although unlike Hvitserk he did not allow himself to brush up against her. For all that she could see he looked normal.  
  
Eventually the car stopped outside yet another languish estate that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There were several cars out the front and Hettie felt instantly uncomfortable as she stepped out into the sunlight. Hvitserk ghosted his hands along her ass and she flinched, moving to strike him when he waggled a finger at her,   
  
"Can't let you inside unless I know you aren't armed" he said with a smile, getting her to turn around and face the car as he roughly patted her down. When he had her phone and butterfly knife he gave it to the driver, Harold, and directed her towards the house.   
  
Halfdan remained outside as Hettie was escorted inside, she only barely caught a glimpse of him as she was pushed through the threshold by Hvitserk's playful hands. Guthrum followed shortly after and after looking him over she felt herself relax.   
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, his own eyes searching her frame to make sure she was not worse for wear.   
  
"Yeah" she answered simply as he sidled up beside her, his warmth an essence of safety.   
  
None of the brothers spoke to them for a time after that, instead Harold entered the house with Halfdan, who Hettie quickly learned was his brother. It seemed like the whole world had been turned upside down as she tried to catch up with what was happening. This was one of their mothers old estates, and whilst she was still in a coma back in Sweden, Ivar had taken to the house nonetheless.   
  
There was much more security around the premise than there had been when Hettie had been staying with Bjorn, she was sat with Halfdan and Guthrum in a sitting room with Harold and a stranger in the doorway.   
  
"I forget that you haven't seen this side of their world" Halfdan spoke softly as the day dragged on, watching as Hettie looked between security guards. "You've got to remember that whilst Ragnar Lothbrok may own one of the worlds largest travel and export companies, he did not come into all of his power by simply working hard. There's ugliness inside every great company, Het" he smiled at the questions that jumped onto her expressive face,  
  
"Aslaug's family were a part of the mob" Guthrum said casually, yawning as he spoke as though the information was nothing new. "Her father was actually pretty well known," he thought out loud.  
  
"That's just gossip" Halfdan scoffed, but when Hettie looked at his face it seemed that Guthrum's words were not as far off as he may like them to be.   
  
  
  
For three days Hettie was hardly spoken to outside of Halfdan and Guthrum's conversations with her. She was allowed to eat and roam the house relatively unmolested which was a relief, but it also made her feel like she was in a cage. She wondered what would happen next, but it was hard to predict the future when she barely understood the motives of her captors.   
  
"You look pensive" Ubbe spoke from the library doorway, she had been looking through some old books when she paused to think, "don't let me interrupt you" he added as she sighed and closed the book.  
  
"What is going to happen to us?" She asked as she put the book back on the shelf, slowly she turned to face Ubbe.   
  
"It depends on what Bjorn is willing to do" he sounded almost uncertain as he spoke, "all Ivar wants is to sit down and talk to Lagertha, and as long as our mother wakes up I am sure that nothing bad will happen"  _but it could, if she doesn't wake up_ Hettie thought as she read between the lines.   
  
"Where does your father stand on all of this?' she wondered, sitting down on the edge of a coffee table. "Ragnar Lothbrok is very quiet for someone who is supposed to be running this household" she added, meaning to add weight to her words.   
  
"He is with our mother" Ubbe answered softly, "And -"  
  
"Ubbe?" A shrill voice sounded from the halls and soon after a blonde headed woman appeared next to him. She narrowed her eyes between the pair before resting her full attention on Hettie. "You must be the nanny" she said pointedly, "I suppose I can see why it was so hard for you to let your brothers at her" she mocked, and Hettie thought she understood.   
  
"Margrethe" she spoke softly and got to her feet, as she approached the doorway she noticed the way that she seemed to hesitate, "Hettie" she said, holding out her hand. Margrethe looked at it as though offended before walking off, when she was gone Ubbe had a ghost of a smile on his tone,  
  
"For someone that came from nothing you would think she was born into this life" he joked quietly, making Hettie smile for a moment before she remembered that this man was as much her enemy as Ivar. Moving to walk away it looked as though Ubbe wanted to say something before he decided against it, "you'll be alright" he said after a long pause, and before Hettie could answer him he left the room.   
  
  
  
Sigurd was purposely avoiding her, and Hettie wanted nothing more than to confront him. Guthrum and Halfdan both advised her against it, siting it an absolute waste of time and effort. But she couldn't help herself, she was angry, confused and guilt-ridden all at once and Sigurd was the easiest person to blame in all of it. At she searched for him she entered what appeared to be an empty study.   
  
Wandering through the room Hettie marveled at all the old books, albums and photographs that lined the shelves and walls. Reaching for a particularly interesting looking book she almost jumped out of her skin when someone cleared their throat.   
  
"You shouldn't touch what isn't yours, should you?" Ivar's smooth voice mocked from a chair half-hidden beside a large open window. "Wouldn't that be something you taught my nephews?" he added as though the thought had just struck him. Hettie turned to leave when she heard the a faint clinking, as she looked back at Ivar she noticed braces over his pants, "I noticed you staring at my legs in the car"   
  
"I didn't mean to stare" Hettie replied sincerely, feeling a new flash of guilt float over her.   
  
"Didn't you?" Ivar smiled at her, as though he could read her every thought. "Just an accident then, you didn't  _mean_ to stare at the cripple" he mocked her, his voice sweet.   
  
He walked towards her with the ease of someone who had been walking with braces for an eternity, it was almost unsettling when he stopped before Hettie. He was much taller than her, towering as he looked down and studied her. Unwavering Hettie looked back, studying him in return. It was almost unsettling how different Ivar appeared from his brothers, where they were all quite light in their coloring, Ivar had a mop of brown hair atop his head and sometimes his eyes almost appeared black from beneath dark brows.   
  
"What are we going to do with you?" Ivar asked, lifting a hand and playing with the ends of her hair for a moment, "now that Sigurd has no use for you" Hettie felt a shiver run up her spine but did not move, instead she narrowed her eyes.   
  
"What do you want, Ivar?" she dared ask, searching his face. He seemed to think about it for a moment but when he got to his answer he just smiled,   
  
"You know, Bjorn has been very aggressive in letting us know that you are not to be harmed during this little family squabble" he said instead, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "he almost seems to think that you're his woman, but you're not - are you?" Ivar rose an eyebrow and watched the emotions flicker across her face,   
  
"He's just worried about us" Hettie replied instead, ignoring the flush that had run across her face.  
  
"He doesn't seem all too concerned about Guthrum and Halfdan" Ivar chuckled, dropping the piece of her hair and letting his fingers trace down the front of her shirt. "Now get out, I have more important things to entertain than the nanny" he flicked his hand dismissively and Hettie had no choice but to follow the orders, her head spinning.   
  
  
  
She unintentionally found Sigurd, or perhaps he found her, when she turned into the rooms she had been sharing with Halfdan and Guthrum. He came in behind her and shut the door softly, when Hettie faced him she wanted nothing more than to strike him. He splayed his hands to her and watched her move around the room to lean against one of the beds four pillars.   
  
"I'm sorry" he said simply, "it won't fix anything, I can't prove it, but I am sorry, Hettie" he breathed, crossing his arms over him when he finished speaking.   
  
"What do you want?" she replied, crossing her own arms she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You should be well aware by now that there is no space in this life for anything else between us"  _this life_ she hadn't meant to say it but it had slipped out.   
  
"I don't know" Sigurd shrugged halfheartedly "I feel guilty for what has happened, I just wanted to apologize" he uncrossed his arms and began walking towards her, his movements calculating in a way that made Hettie think of Ivar and his earlier approach.   
  
She shouldn't have let him approach her and she knew that the second he stopped in front of her. His hand reaching for her hair in the same way Ivar had earlier, it made her skin crawl but she was transfixed by those beautiful blue eyes.  
  
"I always liked girls with darker hair" he commented as though she wanted to know, her brunette hair slipping between his fingers. He drops the hair and his fingers trace along her shoulder and down her bare arm, for a second it seems he might take her hand when there is a knock on the door and Guthrum walks in without waiting,  
  
"I didn't realize we let the half-bloods in" he mocked as he sidled up beside Hettie, making Sigurd walk backwards. Despite his age Guthrum had an imposing figure, dark curled hair and a jovial nature that could rival Hvitserk on a good day. He stood tall and stared Sigurd down, "is everything alright?" he added, looking down at Hettie apprehensively,   
  
"Everything is fine" Halfdan said by the doorway, "whilst we might be hostages, this is the modern age and whilst Het is technically an employee of the family, she is also a free person and I'm sure Sigurd here was just checking in on her" his eyes crinkled as he smiled smoothly down into the room.  
  
After Sigurd had prowled from the room both Halfdan and Guthrum rounded on her,   
  
"I hope you weren't thinking of trying to flirt your way out of here because you looked like a deer in headlights just now" Guthrum teased as he went to the window and sat against the couch placed there. "Plus out of all of them your best bet would be Ubbe, not Sigurd" he added softly,   
  
"Why?" Hettie asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them,   
  
"Several reasons" Guthrum laughed, "for one, he is in a miserable marriage. If there's anything I learned from my mother it's that an unhappy marriage means wandering eyes, for another, Ubbe doesn't get along with his brothers here like he does with Bjorn. He did an internship with Bjorn when he was still in school, and ever since they have been pretty close, for Lothbroks anyway"   
  
"He's also a man" Halfdan added with a laugh, as though this would make perfect sense. "And Het I don't know if you ever actually look away from those kids to look at yourself but you're pretty easy on the eye"   
  
"Yeah" Guthrum joined in, "imagine what you could do if you actually tried to look nice" Hettie flipped him off and he laughed at her, throwing a pillow from the couch at her.   
  
"But you don't think he would actually help us all out of here, do you?" she asked after the laughter had died down and there were pillows strewn across the once neat floorboards.   
  
"No" Halfdan answered, and Guthrum shook his head. "But he'd probably help you, and that is a good start".  
  
  
  
It took a further two days for Hettie to get a moment alone with Ubbe, she was reading in the study when she noticed him walk past again. Dropping her book she walked out and almost walked straight into him. The expression of surprise on his face rivaled her own and she paused, uncertain as to what to say.  
  
"Sorry, I don't mean to hover" Ubbe said quickly before she could think of something to say, "I usually spend a fair bit of time in the library but I didn't want to interrupt,"   
  
"Oh" Hettie shifted for a second before looking back into the open room, "you can come in if you'd like, I don't mind" she turned and walked back into the library, hoping that he would follow without instruction. When he did she watched him sit in the seat beside her own,   
  
"Thank you," Ubbe smiled lightly when she sat beside him and reopened her book. When he made no move to get his own she glanced up to see him watching her, "could you read to me again?" he asked, pulling a face at how stupid he must sound, "I know that that is strange and you don't have to but -"  
  
"I can" Hettie answered quickly, glad to have a task she could actually handle presented to her. "I like reading to people" she added as an afterthought, her mind wandering to her two small charges, she hoped that they were well.   
  
"Do you mind if we sit on the couch?" Ubbe gestured to the two person couch beneath the window and Hettie easily obliged, the fabric was soft beneath her frame and she settled comfortably.   
  
She got through half of the Iliad before Ubbe started to doze off, he asked politely if he could rest his legs across her lap as she kept reading and she obliged. The warmth of him through his pants was comforting as she continued to read, at the end of the book he was heavy against her. When she tried to shuffle away he opened an eye and yawned, a lazy smile on his face.   
  
"Thank you" he murmured, lifting his legs so that she could move her own. "I hate sleeping in this house," he confessed as he wiped his hands over his face, "feels like we're just waiting for her to die,"   
  
"Do you think she will die?" Hettie wondered back at him, leaning her head against the back of the couch and looking at him directly.   
  
"No" he shrugged, "she's not the kind of woman who gives up on anything, I'm sure you'll see that when you meet her".    
  
The two sat in a comfortable silence as Hettie ran her fingers through the pages of her favorite sections. Ubbe had leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes to relax. For a moment Hettie hesitated in looking up, but when she did she felt her stomach lurch. Flirting with Ubbe and getting his attention were very different tasks from the one at hand, being friendly felt easy, almost familiar. As she watched him she took in every facial hair, every eyebrow furrow and the way his chest dipped with each breath.   
  
"Enjoying the view?" Margrethe said from the doorway, Ubbe jerked awake and Hettie looked to her not bothering to hide her embarrassment. "Sorry, I did not mean to wake you, husband" she added with a sickly sweet smile before walking away.   
  
"Sorry about her" Ubbe sighed as he moved his legs from Hettie's lap and sat up, his head in his hands as he rubbed his temple. "She's dramatic but harmless, really I don't think there is anything she could do or say to put you in harms way"  
  
"I'm not overly concerned about a girl who looks like she hasn't done a real days work in her life" Ubbe chuckled at that and shook his head, "am I wrong?"  
  
"Not really, she was a cleaner when we met but she wasn't really the best at that,"   
  
"I mean if she was cleaning for the Lothbrok's can you really blame her? I'm sure you were more than enough of a distraction" Hettie smiled at her own joke and Ubbe looked across at her with a smile on his face,   
  
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" He asked with a raised brow and grin,  
  
"It can be whichever you would prefer" she decided as she put the book down and stretched, "but I meant it as a compliment". 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fell off the map with this chapter and I am sorry about that, I cannot promise that I will be any more diligent going forward but I did enjoy finishing this one off which had been drafted since Feb 1st.


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hettie begins to forget who she is working for and the severity of the situation she has found herself in. New meetings and welcome visitors remind her.

Margrethe had posed less of an obstacle than Hettie had first imagined. One evening she had been brushing her teeth in one of the three bathrooms when she noticed the blonde-haired woman walk past light-footed and disappear into Hvitserks room.

On her way back to her own rooms she paused outside of the one she had seen Ubbe frequent the most. Hesitating for only a moment she knocked gently and waited for him to call out to let herself in. When she entered he was laying in his bed watching Television. Only a few hours previously Guthrum had told her that she needed to stop playing it safe and make a move, they were running out of time.

Word had reached Halfdan from his estranged brother Harold that Ragnar would be in England any day now for a ‘business’ trip. Since this information had been received it appeared that Ivar was in a foul mood, most days Hettie could hear him barking orders from his study, or angrily speaking another language over the telephone.

“Here I was thinking she had the decency to not do it whilst I was under the same roof” Ubbe joked when he saw Hettie standing in the doorway. She smiled nervously but lost all her confidence the second he appeared to appraise her.

She was wearing a short and t-shirt set she had found in her bedroom closet. The dark satin material fell softly along her curves and whislt Hettie thought it was overkill, Halfdan and Guthrum encouraged her to wear it. Deciding that if Hettie couldn’t keep her wits around her to make a move, the clothing could at least try to speak on her behalf.

“I’m afraid not” she answered, aware suddenly that she had been silent for a little too long before speaking. Wringing her hands in front of herself she wondered how she had ever managed to sleep with Sigurd on a whim. “Does this happen often?” she added, trying to fill the conversation. 

“Pretty often” Ubbe shrugged and looked back to the television for a moment. “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed, aren’t your people supposed to be observant?” he half joked, trying to lighten the conversation.

“My people?” Hettie answered, feigning offence. Ubbe chuckled at that and shrugged again, “I’m afraid when I am away from my tiny charges I am not quite as focused as I could be”

“I don’t blame you, with the state of things” Ubbe smiled tensely and sat up, patting the space beside him, “you’re probably better company than the one I was foolish enough to expect, do you want to watch a film with me?” The invite made her shoulders relax and perhaps a little too eagerly Hettie climbed across the bed and settled in beside him. “Do you have anything that you want to watch?”

“Not really, I don’t really watch a lot of adult television” she admitted before realizing how it must sound, “because I’m a nanny” she added almost apologetically as she turned and looked at Ubbe side on, her cheeks suddenly feeling hot. He smiled but didn’t say anything.

After a few minutes Ubbe settled on something that Hettie could barely keep up with as she was constantly getting distracted by the photographs on his wall. When the end credits began to roll an hour and a half or so later she didn’t notice until she felt his eyes on her. Turning she quirked a brow and he seemed to consider something,

“The boys are doing well” he spoke quietly, moving to pull out his phone whilst he seemed to struggle with something internally. “Torvi and I…” he cleared his throat, “sometimes she texts me” opening up his photograph folder on his phone he began to show Hettie some images of Erik and Refil in the Mediterranean. She clung to his phone and scrolled across the images, zooming in on their happy faces as her heart clenched and unclenched in mixed sorrow and relief.

“They look happy,” she breathed, nodding her head to herself.

“Uh – that’s all” Ubbe tried to grab his phone before Hettie scrolled too far however it was too late. The last image appeared to be a selfie taken by Torvi herself in… a compromising position.

“Interesting” Hettie decided, glancing up at Ubbe. She pulled herself up and settled with her legs crossed beneath her. “How long has this been going on then?” she asked, unaware of the motherly tone she had taken on until Ubbe looked up at her bashfully,

“They’re in the middle of a divorce” he defended himself, unable to help the coy smile that had begun creeping across his face as he spoke.

“Are they just?” Hettie asked back, a smile reaching her own face despite her compromised position. There was no way she could seduce her way out of this if Ubbe was already seeing someone he appeared quite fond of. In retrospect she knew that plan had been fickle at best.

“You should be happy,” Ubbe declared, “Bjorn can finally sweep you off your feet and you can become the official second-mother to those boys you love so much” when Hettie scoffed he looked surprised, “isn’t that what you want?”

“I just want everyone to be safe” Hettie answered seriously,

“Wear a condom then” Ubbe joked in return, causing her to swat at him with a pillow. “Honestly it would probably be best if you did, we don’t need any more Lothbroks in the world” he chuckled, looking across at her. Hettie shrugged,

“It doesn’t matter, I can’t have them either way” Ubbe studied her for a moment before his expression softened,

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to –”

“You couldn’t have known” Hettie pressed gently, she didn’t mean to bring it up and she suddenly felt embarrassed.

“What happened?” Ubbe asked gently, one of his hands moving to rest on her knee.

“We had a cancer scare when I was younger, my father was perhaps a little too preventative. My mother passed away from Uterine cancer that spread before her uterus could be removed. We caught it late, and my father couldn’t stand that happening to me so…”

“So here we are” Ubbe finished for her, shaking his head. “I’m sorry Hettie, I didn’t mean to open old wounds”

“It’s fine,” Hettie shook her head and placed her hand over his own. “You didn’t, it was almost nice to have a conversation not about the situation I am. Almost feels normal…”

“Almost” Ubbe laughed, taking his hand back and leaning into his pillows. Well I am glad that I could help either way” he said earnestly as Hettie began to get to her feet. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,”

“Thank you” Hettie smiled as she stood and studied his face for a moment. She knew she couldn’t do it, Ubbe was a good man despite the many flaws of his family, they would just have to think of another way to get out of this mess. “I should go back to my room though, I’m pretty tired.”

Ubbe watched her go and after she had shut the door softly Hettie let herself release a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding in. She had so many mixed emotions about what was happening that it was hard to keep up with her thoughts.

Walking through the dimly lit hallways she crossed her arms across her chest against the light chill. Guthrum and Halfdan would likely be a little disappointed with her but she couldn’t help the way things had gone… could she? Pausing she remembered how happy the boys looked in the photographs on Ubbe’s phone.

_What are you doing?_ She asked herself harshly, her job was to protect and serve those young boys, and by extension – Guthrum. She was currently being held hostage in a house by a volatile Lothbrok and what was she doing? Reading bedtime stories to adults and sharing her personal information? She shook her head and turned around to head back to Ubbe’s room.

 

 

Just before she rounded the final corner to lead her past Hvitserk’s room and into Ubbe’s she heard rather than saw the light-footed retreat of Margrethe. Peeking around the corner she saw the young woman disappear into Ubbe’s room and wondered if this was good or bad timing.

“Henrietta, what exactly are you doing prowling around the halls this hour of night?” Hvitserk asked as he opened his door. One of his cheeks appeared red and Hettie knew she didn’t have to be a detective to see that something had gone astray between the younger Lothbrok and his brother’s wife.

“I left my toothbrush in this bathroom and wanted to take it back to my room” a terrible lie that Hvitserk saw straight through, “I was coming to see Ubbe” she told him, a half-truth at the least appeared more believable.

“I’m afraid I have had to do a small intervention with Margrethe, and consequently Ubbe will be busy for the rest of the evening,” Hvitserk laughed, leaning nonchalant in his doorway as he looked over her body and state of dress. “I, however, suddenly have a free schedule if you wanted to spend some time with me” he offered with a grin,

Before her better sense could kick in Hvitserk left his doorway and encouraged Hettie to walk with him towards the kitchen. She could see the shadows of the security guards outside the windows cast by the outdoor lights and strangely the sight only made her feel as though she had just walked into more danger than she could manage.

“Do you want anything to drink? Hvitserk asked as he got himself a cup of water. He was wearing casual black sweatpants and a white shirt that showed off the muscle on his lean frame. Hettie shook her head and looked towards the part of the house where Guthrum and Halfdan would likely be waiting up for her.

“I might head back to my room – ” she began to say as she walked towards the lighted hallway, but Hvitserk caught her wrist and moved up closer to her.

“What’s the rush?” he asked softly, still holding her wrist as he moved closer. Her back now against the fridge Hettie wondered why she felt more endangered now than she had with any of the Lothbrok brothers previously. “Do you dislike me, Henrietta?” his face was light, humorous and as it always appeared, but his words sounded like daggers, “you always shy away from me, why is that?” he added finally, his face a mere few inches from her own.

“Perhaps I do” she answered, not bulking under his pressure, she wet her lips with her tongue and cursed her heart for feeling so tight, “or perhaps I can simply see you as you are, not how you want other people to see you” she pressed her free hand against his chest and straightened her back,

“Oh?” Hvitserks eyes filled with amusement at that and he pushed harder against her opposing hand. His grip on her wrist tightening as he towered over her, “and what do you see?” he breathed, leaning down so that his words tickled the side of her face,

“I see you, Hvitserk Lothbrok” his name sounded like an insult but this only seemed to amuse him more. Leaning back he looked over her face and drank her in, his eyes so similar to the first time he had done so. It felt like an age since Hettie had been standing in the bathroom of the Lothbrok apartments with Sigurd at her side. “I’m not afraid of you” she growled, pushing him back and snatching her hand from his grip.

The movement seemed to surprise him, but quick as a cat Hvitserk was on her again, both his hands gripping her wrists as she struggled against him. Deciding that whatever was about to happen would happen regardless of how she acted now she smashed her head against his own and brought her knee up to his crotch, once again bringing him down to the ground on his knees.

The noise he made in protest seemed to attract enough attention for security to come in, as Hettie heard one of the doors open and footsteps rush towards her. Dancing backwards she went to grab one of the kitchen knives only to lock eyes with the last person she had expected to see: Bjorn.

“Henrietta!” several men followed in behind him and Bjorn took a moment to take in the sight of Hvitserk once again getting to his feet with a bloodied nose from the kitchen floor. His eyes narrowed as he got to Hettie’s side but he said nothing further on the matter.

“What have I walked in to now?” a voice scorned, annoyance licking from every word. Hettie looked up and across to see Ragnar Lothbrok walking in through the side entry, at his side none other than his wife. “Hvitserk, explain” Aslaug added finally, her voice full of authority as she spoke down to her son.

“A misunderstanding, mother” Hvitserk chuckled darkly, still holding his nose. “I surprised our dear Henrietta here whilst she was getting a glass of water. You know what some of her kind can be like” he looked across at his mother amused, but her eyes were dark pools that Hettie now understood she had passed to her youngest son, Ivar.

“I’m sure” she replied in a voice that left no room for anyone to think that she actually believed her sons tale. “Go and tell Ivar that I have arrived, I wish to speak to my sons together in the study shortly so make sure everyone is there” she sniffed and finally let her eyes rest on Hettie, for a moment it appeared she would say something but instead she simply left the room.

Surprised Hettie remained in her place. Bjorn remained at her side as Aslaug disappeared with a member of security and waited for her to speak.

Ragnar approached them, too. Looking between his son and the young woman at his side he could sense if not see why his son was so eager to come with him on this venture.

“Have they mistreated you?” Ragnar asked, reaching out and lifting Hettie’s chin so that he could better look at her face. She looked untouched, her porcelain skin without blemish as she peered at him with forest green eyes.

“No, sir” Hettie answered, her previous state buried as she straightened her shoulders and lifted her hand to lower Ragnar’s from her skin. “They have been hospitable to us all” she smiled and inclined her head, leaving him to glance across at Bjorn.

“I am glad to hear it, you certainly had my son here worried” Ragnar smiled meaningfully at Bjorn before excusing himself to say hello to his other children. After he had gone Bjorn rested a heavy hand on Hettie’s shoulder and asked her to take him to her rooms.

Before she had even entered the room she could hear Guthrum and Halfdan getting to their feet.

“Did it work?” Guthrum asked as soon as he caught side of her slightly messed hair and wide eyes. Halfdan chuckled and went to say something when he stopped midsentence and saw Bjorn behind her,

“Not quite” Hettie spoke, Bjorn’s hand rested on the small of her back for a moment before he went forward and embraced Guthrum and shook Halfdan’s hand.

The four remained together for a time before Bjorn broke the news that he would not be taking them all with him when he left the following day.

“Nice knowing you Het” Halfdan joked and Guthrum laughed with him, when Bjorn shifted uncomfortably the three of them turned to look at him,

“He’s here for Guthrum, you idiot” Hettie answered for Bjorn before he could speak. “Do you really think Torvi would rather Guthrum was here with the Lothbrok brothers he does not share blood with?” Halfdan nodded and apologised quickly before Bjorn got to his feet.

“Would you mind coming for a walk with me Henrietta, I have a few things I need to discuss with you before I leave in the morning,”

 

 

They walked for a short while until they were sitting in the library Hettie so often frequented.

“I am sorry that I cannot get you and Halfdan out of this place tomorrow, Aslaug understands why Guthrum should come home however she does not agree that Halfdan need leave just yet, and since the boys are still away with Torvi she does not see a need for you to hurry away,” Bjorn spoke apologetically, his words political as he surveyed her expression for any hint of what she could be thinking.

“I understand” she stated simply, “Aslaug is well, then?”

“Well enough to start spinning her web as always. She states that what happened was an accident and that she wishes to remain in good favour with the _family;_ however it is always a matter of time before she and my mother butt heads again.” _Again_ Hettie thought, curious suddenly if Bjorn knew more than he dare to speak about.

“Have they been treating you well?” He asked when they were silent for a time, he looked again to the place she was seated beside him and Hettie felt her chest tighten painfully.

“Yes” she lied, or she supposed it was a lie. “You don’t need to worry about me, you didn’t hire me because I needed someone to take care of me” she added with a bright smile, Bjorn couldn’t help but return the expression.

“We should have you out of here as soon as the boys are home, which should be around Christmas… I promise we will be back together in no time at all” unspoken words seemed to linger between them and Hettie considered saying something.

“How are you?” she asked dumbly, berating herself inwardly for such a ridiculous question. Bjorn looked surprised at the question but humoured her nonetheless.

“As well as I can be without my family close by” he replied, almost sounding unsure of himself. “It feels strange to go home and not have the boys or yourself there waiting for me,” he admitted, smiling softly.

“Yeah” Hettie agreed, “I miss them so much,” she shifted in her seat but stopped when she felt Bjorn’s hand run itself down through her hair. It was different to the way Ivar and Sigurd had touched her, his hand instead of toying ran the full length of her hair before resting on her shoulder.

“We miss you too,” Bjorn confided in her, the low light of the study lamps danced light across his face and Hettie drunk in the sight of him, biting down on the corner of her bottom lip she prayed that she wouldn’t say something stupid. “ _I_ miss you” he added, his voice so soft she could have convinced herself she imagined it.

“I miss you too” she breathed instead, choosing to be brave. “And I am sorry” she shook her head and brought her hands up to her face. “I’m sorry I am not doing a better job of keeping your family safe, I shouldn’t have let myself become distracted” she berated herself.

“I forgive you,” Bjorn said with a smile, “sometimes I forget that we have not had the same experiences, that I have not shared everything with you from the beginning” he thought out loud, “my brothers see something they want and they will chase it until they have it, I have seen them do it their entire lives and because they have always come from money they will always get it, or at least nine times out of ten”

“Did you not come from money?” Hettie asked, a little confused.

“When I was born my father was a businessman and my mother was a low-level manager, we were comfortable but no one knew our name, we started from the bottom and I like to think I have earned my place in this world I find myself in,” Bjorn smiled to himself as he spoke, “don’t let any of my brothers make you believe you owe them anything, and don’t be so harsh on yourself for getting caught up in the whirlwind of this crazy family”

“I’ll try” Hettie answered with a small smile, “but… but make sure you don’t get caught up in it either. You are your own man outside of this family, and you have earned your place” she put her hand over his own as she spoke, squeezing softly as he considered her words.


End file.
